


The Fox and the Guard

by Blue_Sparkle



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Ered Luin, Fluff, Fox Shapeshifter, Fox Wedding, Genderfluid Nori, M/M, Nonbinary Dwarves, Nwalin Week, Other, Slow Burn, Smut, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-03-30 06:33:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 41,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3926461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Sparkle/pseuds/Blue_Sparkle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dwalin lives on his own, in a different settlement from where his family is. He remembers the days of hunger and struggle, so he never stops working hard to give all he has to his kin, doing anything to keep this from happening again, not caring for what will become of him.<br/>Things change when he one day meets a trusting little fox.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Life in the Blue Mountains was harsh and difficult, and Dwalin had never shied away from doing his part in supporting his family in any way he could. He remembered how bad it had been in refugee camps and hastily established settlements near the very outskirts of Ered Luin, above ground and barely good enough to shield the Dwarves from wind and weather and the dangers posed by outsiders. Compared to that nothing would seem bad enough to Dwalin to complain or stop his hard work, and even at the worst he was sure he could endure so much more for his people and family.

Things had gotten a little better when the Dwarves finally settled inside the mountains and in the valleys between good tall cliffs. At least then they didn’t have to worry about protecting themselves from the forces of nature descending on anyone above ground or from Men who thought Dwarves were easy prey. It wasn’t perfect, and though Thorin had managed to help the Ereborean Dwarves make a new home after Azanulbizar robbed them of any hopes to at least return to Khazad-Dûm, life was filled with hardship.

It was only right; Dwarves had always been hard workers and did what they had to to survive. But where that hard work had been for the good name and comfort of their families, the Kingdom and for Mahal himself, now it truly was for survival and safety, the barest minimum of what a good livelihood was.

Dwalin did his part to support his own family where he could, but it was hard for him to find anything to do. Balin and Glóin both travelled a lot, for trade and to help Thorin keep up relations with Dwarves and allies beyond the Blue Mountains. Óin practiced medicine as he had when he had meant to when he still studied in Erebo, while Dwalin’s mother returned to helping at court and with the law when it was needed after her husband had fallen in battle. Then there was Dís, with her little growing family. She could not work outside of Ered Luin or do much at all with the children, her wife Víli being so wounded and still needing help after the battle, and with the assistance she offered Thorin when it came to ruling.

Dwalin had nothing but the utmost respect for his cousins, and naturally he did his best to support them where he could.

No work was too low for him to consider, no task too hard. He had no craft that was of any use to him in Ered Luin, so he did anything that was asked of him.

There was no need for the delicate and beautiful jewellery Dwalin had worked with when he was younger, and neither that nor his skills with a viol really made any money, as there was nobody to pay for such services. In the worst of times in Ered Luin there was nobody who would need any of these things, not to mention that it had only ever done either of these things for himself. His experience in battle and his strength were always asked for though, there would always be a need for protection and raw brawn, so Dwalin had turned to that and never tried anything else.

Most of the time Dwalin was paid to accompany trade caravans back and forth along the length of the Blue Mountains, as the ways that made travel the easiest also posed danger of ambushes and thieves. Sometimes he even travelled close to the Shire like this, or to the sea. Sometimes Dwalin was asked to guard places or people in the settlement he lived in, and occasionally it was his strength asked for, when it came to construction or moving heavy goods from place to place when hands were needed.

It was tiring and dull, but Dwalin would receive little purses of coins for each service, so there was nothing to complain about.

He did not live in the city of Belegost, where his family had settled down and from where Thorin was ruling. Instead Dwalin lived near the edge of the mountains, in a smaller town, which was partially underground and partially outside where the cavern broke open and only open sky was above the buildings rather than good solid stone. It was closer to the main trade routes at least. While most of the travellers and traders did move on to Belegost it was easier to find work in a smaller place like that.

Dwalin had a house for himself, bigger than he needed but it was his own and did not cost him more. He stayed there most of the time, when he wasn’t working, and there wasn’t much to do but rest or keep in shape with his weapons on a good day. Sometimes there was little to do though, and Dwalin was alone. He did not want to spend his sparse coin on too much things he didn’t need, so Dwalin rarely went to taverns or sought out any kind of entertainment. He had enough company when he was guarding caravans and could talk to the hired sellswords, and if he wished to drink he would buy a bottle of the cheapest ale, which also had the perk of him never drinking too much of it at a time.

Instead he would leave the mountains when he couldn’t stand being on his own and without work. The Blue Mountains were covered by forests near the slopes, so Dwalin would walk for a few hours and settle down and just stare towards them and the lighter density of trees. He sometimes wondered whether he should hunt, but he’d never been good at it and he’d rather leave that to actual craftsmen instead of disturbing the creatures inside the forest.

Sometimes Dwalin would buy toys for Fíli, just so the child would have something nice from him, and sometimes he bought something for his mother. It was the only thing that made him feel a little guilty about living so far away. Lawara’s children both travelled a lot, and though Balin also stayed in Belegost at times, her youngest rarely visited for more than a few days.

It took Dwalin two days of travel to reach Belegost when he did want to visit, and every time he would bring his carefully saved up money to give to his family just as he tried to spend the time with them to make up for the absence.

Lawara would embrace him and offer him to stay for as long as he wished, though Dwalin never took her up on the silent offer to _stay_. His cousins would embrace him and take him out to drink, to catch up on good old times or just to talk, but Dwalin didn’t always feel up to it, sitting quietly as they drank. He would offer Thorin his service, half hoping that there _was_ a use for him, and Thorin would sigh and say that he wished he could make use of fighting skills and brawl, but he could not in his problems. It pained Dwalin to see his friend that way, but they also both knew that another six years of war would do nothing but destroy the peace their people had, so best be grateful for the quiet.

It was Dís who was hardest to face, funnily enough.

Most of the time it was her Dwalin would give the money he made to, as she needed it most with being the only one having a child in their family, while also knowing how to spend it best.

“We don’t need this,” Dís would tell Dwalin every single time, though she still took the purse.

Her attempts to refuse it as Dwalin stubbornly insisted had stopped after the first few times Dwalin had brought money.

“The Dwarves of Ered Luin are doing better and better by the year, our entire family can make ends meet without you working yourself into dust with all those dull guarding assignments!”

“You do need this more than me,” Dwalin insisted. He remembered being young and helpless and doing his best to help his family even just have enough food not to starve, or having to make the choice between an empty belly for a night or freezing with no firewood to be had. He did not want to risk Dís facing the same again.

“At least keep more for yourself.”

Dís always chided him for that, but what did Dwalin need gold for? He didn’t go hungry, his clothes were in good condition and he had a warm place to call his own.

Their brief arguments of Dís trying to make Dwalin change his behaviour and Dwalin simply not answering usually ended with Dís rolling her eyes and moving to fetch her little toddler for Dwalin to hold for a bit.

Only rarely did Dwalin even consider not accepting work or simply stopping with this altogether and returning to Belegost.

There was a trader who Dwalin had worked for for years, a Dwarf named Tulek who always needed guards for his warehouse or for the trading caravans. It was very soon after Azanulbizar that Dwalin had met him for the first time, and though his pay was very little compared to similar jobs, he always had use for Dwalin when he was in town. A little but steady income was fine enough by Dwalin, and he rarely had any issues with any of it.

Only once in a while did Dwalin hear of other sell-swords hissing about the pay or the Tulek’s demands about how his ware was to be protected, as if the Dwarves he hired knew nothing of what they had to do.

Dwalin had ignored it, until Tulek’s pay became less for him as well.

“This is not the usual amount,” Dwalin had growled as he counted the gold in the little purse Tulek had given him after a night of guarding his warehouse.

“It is not,” the trader agreed, though he did not elaborate.

“We did not agree on this. Why would you cheat me like this? I have always done what you asked me to and kept your things safe!”

Tulek listened quietly as he noted something in a little notebook, calculating the cost of his next caravan even as Dwalin ranted quietly. He had a small room in his little warehouse, where he planned the routes and paid the guards. Through the door Dwalin could see Dwarves checking the bundles of textiles that had been stored for the night and would be carried on to Belegost where Tulek could sell them.

Tulek was quiet for a few moments, checking his notes, before he finally looked up at Dwalin.

“You were hurt the last time you accompanied my caravan, were you not?”

“Yes?”

Dwalin was a little taken aback by the question, wondering what it had to do with his cut pay.

“See, I don’t want that happening around my goods. An injured warrior means more of a chance for them to be defeated should it come to a fight. You are a risk, so naturally I will spend less on a risk.”

Dwalin glowered at the much shorter Dwarf.

“I was injured protecting your ponies from wolves!”

He hadn’t even been hurt by the wolf itself. As the creature tried to jump on one of Tulek’s pack ponies Dwalin had dealt with it with just one well-placed blow of his hammer. He’d fallen off his own pony and into the snow as it shied away from the attack, but he had rolled through it and helped his companions deal with any other wolves. It was only later that his shoulder had swollen a little and ached, though it really hadn’t been a serious injury.

“Get injured and then are a liability in protecting what you are paid for further. No no, I can’t run my business like this.”

Dwalin’s fists clenched in his knuckledusters, the well-worn leather creaking dangerously.

“I have always done my work despite anything that came in my way. You can not do this.”

Tulek’s gaze flicked over Dwalin’s thunderous face and his clenching fists, enough to make most Dwarves nervous. Tulek did not flinch away though. He worked with many warriors, some more hot-headed than Dwalin, and all of those sell-swords and young soldiers had sought him out because they needed the pay more than they wanted to risk trouble. Besides, some of the guards outside with their wares were looking towards the little office now, a bit concerned but ready to intervene, despite all of them being on good terms with Dwalin.

Dwalin’s hands eased back into a relaxed position. It was just not worth it. The brief spark of anger lapsed just as soon as he had appeared, returning Dwalin to his usual state of quiet affability he had taken on too long ago.

The quick change back to this attitude pacified Tulek at least.

“Fine then. You have always been one of my best and most reliable guards. I’ll overlook that last little mistake.”

He moved to his stone desk and rummaged in the drawers briefly before he pulled out a handful of coins. He dropped those into Dwalin’s hand and crossed something off on his notebook.

“The usual amount then. Go have a drink or something to calm down.”

He made a dismissive hand gesture and walked out to oversee whether all of his wares were packed on the ponies correctly. Dwalin simply stared at the gold coins in his hand. It really wasn’t much, but enough to not want it to be cut from the already low pay Tulek was giving him.

Perhaps he ought to use those coins to go to a tavern again, get sauced enough to forget what he had been up to the day before or to wake up in an unfamiliar alley. Shanked most likely, with his belongings gone. It’d be a waste of both money and booze on such a jaded warrior as him. Best to do what he always did, and save the money for his family and go distract himself in different ways.

*

The people living in the town Dwalin had settled in had a healthy respect for the forests so close to their home. While the trees were sparse and short on the slopes it did not take too long of a walk to end up in a forest.

Dwarves travelled through it on paths, or ventured in to hunt or gather if the need arose, but few liked to stay for longer than the day’s hours, and few liked going there too often. There was the reasonable fear of encountering wild animals in packs or being attacked by an angered boar, but there also was some of the unknown lurking there.

Some children would scare younger siblings by insisting that one could find Goblins in between the trees, and Dwalin knew for sure that this wasn’t true. They had made certain of it. 

The talk the adult Dwarves kept up was less easy to dismiss. Demons and spirits of the forest that could be slighted by things no Dwarf would consider insulting, ghosts and creatures that did not wish to be disturbed in the twilight of the trees too much.

Most of the stories were old folk’s tales, superstition and an unease of the world outside that was so unkind to Dwarves whenever it could be. Dwalin wasn’t one to dismiss all of them entierly. Everyone knew that the forests themselves were wary of Dwarves more than of others, running back to the days of their creation when the Maker’s Green Lady created means to protect her children from those of her husband.

Though Dwalin doubted the spirits would bother all that much with Dwarves who didn’t chop and burn down threes at will. Since all of them respected the forest Dwalin saw no reason for vengeful spirits to be a problem.

Despite all the town’s Dwarves thought of it, Dwalin liked the forest. It was peaceful and he could spend hours there. Just as today, after leaving Tulek’s warehouse.

It did not cost him any coins to just sit on the grass and stare out over the treetops further down the mountain slope. He only had to bring food or water, so that he would not need to return for it, and then walk for about half an hour until there was no trace of anything Dwarvish or Manish at that. He could just be alone with the sounds of birds and wind.

The comfort he took from it had shamed Dwalin at first, for what Dwarf would ever feel a panic or numbness painful enough to force them out onto the surface for relief? In the first years after the war in the Misty Mountains deep and narrow tunnels had disturbed Dwalin, the sight of stone above him had made him think of drums and screams in the distance each time before he could catch himself and feel that this was not the same rock as near Khazad-Dûm.

By now Dwalin just accepted that it was the quiet he loved so much, the few hours he could think of nothing and have a gentle steady noise fill his head to keep any thoughts away.

The brief lingering anger he’d felt when Tulek had tried to pay him less was gone even before Dwalin had reached his favourite spot to rest. There wasn’t much he wanted to do about this anyway. Even a small pay was good if it was steady, and a steady pay was more important than pride to provide for a family, so Dwalin contented himself with it.

He sat quietly, watching the treetops move. He’d taken a flask of water with him, and a bit of bread with small smoked sausages to snack on for supper. He ate and drank and looked out at nothing, his axes lying next to him untouched, and time passed steadily and near unnoticed as the sun moved lower across the sky. An entire hour must have passed before Dwalin saw the fox.

It was just sitting on one of the rocks a few feet away from Dwalin, perched on it without even trying to make itself look smaller. Golden eyes were meeting Dwalin’s fearlessly when the Dwarf looked.

Dwalin stared back at it, wondering why the wild animal was just watching him like that, staying even as it had so obviously been spotted. It still had its winter pelt and lazily and slowly wagged its big bushy tail.

“Hello,” Dwalin tried, feeling daft for speaking to an animal like that.

The fox’s ears twitched and it rose to hop down from the rock, walking towards Dwalin as if he wasn’t a big and potentially dangerous Dwarf. It did stop just a little bit away from him, but also right in front of the hand that still held some of the leftover sausages. Dwalin chuckled at the realization. Of course, it had smelled something delicious and wanted it.

He slowly moved his hand towards the fox and place one of the sausages as close to it as he dared, lest it got spooked away. But the fox didn’t mind the hand moving towards him either, just picked up the food and quickly devoured it as Dwalin watched. Once that was done the fox looked up at Dwalin again, waiting.

“What, you want more?” he asked, raising his eyebrow and holding up another sausage.

Before he could decide whether to give it to the fox or no it had already crossed the last bit of distance between them and snatched one out of his hand. Dwalin laughed as the fox ate that one as well, and placed the last few he had in front of it too.

He watched the fox eat, amused by its boldness. The fox had a beautiful fur, red and brown and with a fiery glow in the afternoon sun. Dwalin wondered whether it was as soft as it looked.

Despite knowing it was a bad idea he reached out carefully, expecting to be bitten or scratched for this, but the fox did not move away as the big hand touched his back. It had the softest fur Dwalin had ever touched. 

Feeling a little bolder Dwalin started to stroke the fox, trying to be as gentle as he could with his too rough hand. It was a calming feeling to stroke the little animal, over and over along his back and once or twice over the big fluffy tail.

When the fox had finished the last of the sausages it turned its head to look up at Dwalin, and its eyes narrowed as if in a smile.

A tiny pink tongue darted out to lick over Dwalin’s fingers and then the fox twisted away and loped on towards the forest as quickly as it had appeared.

Dwalin sighed and shook his head. Had he really spent so much time sitting around these parts that the forest animals had grown used to him?

The food was gone and the sun was setting, so Dwalin picked up his axes and stood to return to the settlement without looking towards the forest again.

*

The trees whispered with the birds’ gossip all around them as Nori leaned against a tree and watched the tall warrior go.

“You shouldn’t have bothered that Dwarf,” his brother’s voice chided him from behind. Dori had never understood what fun was, but Nori didn’t let that stop him.

“I haven’t, I just wanted to take a closer look for once,” Nori clarified.

Dori sighed and shook his head. The old fox had never liked interfering with the Men who didn’t bother them in their forest, and there were only few Dwarves that ventured near enough.

Nori watched the Dwarf walk away and patted his paws against the tree’s bark in thought. He would return to his home now, and stay there all on his own. Unless he was off to guard something. Nori had been interested in that one ever since he started noticing him sitting near the forest doing nothing. He’s watched him in his settlement as well, quiet and invisible as smoke as he lingered on the rooftops to watch him. The Dwarf stayed so close to his home, so of course Nori wanted to see some of his as well. He didn’t know his name, but he knew him as well as one could with such a quiet and solitary Dwarf.

“I like him,” Nori said slowly.

Behind him Dori groaned.

“I think I will go live in that settlement for a while,” Nori went on.

“You can’t be serious! For what? Your curiosity?”

Nori grinned at his brother and watched as Dori squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head again. Good old Dori, never wanted to know the details of what his little brother was up to.

And Nori _was_ curious too, besides very much liking being a Dwarf every once in a while. This time he’d have someone specific to watch out for when walking among Dwarves as one of them. That big rough hand had felt so good on his fur, had been so gentle as the scarred warrior treated him cautiously as if not to scare him. How nice would those hands feel if he were to touch Nori as a Dwarf?

“Don’t worry,” Nori told his brother as he watched where the Dwarf had disappeared to, already plotting how to best introduce himself in the little town. “I just want to take a look.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Green Lady is Yavanna, Mahal/Aule's wife. When he created the Dwarves she realized that her own forests and plants have no protection, so she created the Ents to make sure that her forests would have somebody to look out for them.


	2. Chapter 2

Dwalin only rarely went to the markets these days, but he needed a new whetstone and thought that perhaps he might at least take a look at what other wares were displayed. Maybe he would find something useful, or a gift to take with him the next time he went to visit his family.

It was early in the morning, the light of the rising sun only just streaming through the caverns of the settlements. There weren’t many Dwarves out in the streets yet, most probably still sleeping or at least staying at home for a hearty breakfast before going on to do the day’s works. He had slept enough without even waking up in the middle of the night, he knew that, but Dwalin still felt the heaviness of being tired in his bones.

It bothered him, but at the same time Dwalin knew he was taking care of himself well enough, so it didn’t matter. Especially not right now. Right now he wanted to walk around through the markets and get a whetstone.

Dwalin wasn’t looking where he was going and the sudden clatter of things falling over made him flinch and turn to see. The noise had been close enough that it might have been his fault for throwing something over, his size already contributed to things being knocked over without him meaning to often enought.

This time he hadn’t, it seemed, as the bags and baskets thrown across the floor were a few feet away, and the Dwarf crouching between them was glaring off to where others were walking.

Dwalin was the only one who had stopped; the others who glanced up were stall owners setting up their wares, too busy with their things to set up. The Dwarf muttered something as he worked to gather up the things that had fallen, setting them up again. He turned to reach for one of the smaller baskets, and in that moment his eyes moved up to meet Dwalin’s. They were golden, big on the narrow face. He had neat braids in his beard, his red-brown hair brushed up into peaks, elegant and much more easy and finer than anything Dwalin could even dream of attempting…

They stared at each other for several seconds before Dwalin realized that he was just _standing_ there and looking. He straightened his shoulders and crouched down as well, reaching for the baskets that had rolled away from the Dwarf.

The Dwarf watched him for a few seconds longer before he smiled.

“Thank you,” he said before returning to his work.

Dwalin focused on helping as well, though he couldn’t help but wonder about the Dwarf. With how much he was carrying he probably was a merchant or had only arrived in the settlement recently. The baskets were surprisingly light, so he wouldn’t have had trouble carrying them if he just could tie them together for balance.

When everything was back to a standing position Dwalin remained next to the Dwarf, unsure of what to do. He watched him open some of the things to check whether everything was alright. All Dwalin could see were rolls of textiles and the edges of some wooden constructions.

“Can’t even put anything down to figure out direction,” the Dwarf muttered. “At least it’s not messed up.”

“Good,” Dwalin said, in lack of any other comment he could make.

Again the Dwarf looked up at Dwalin, this time looking him up and down and somehow still smiling at what he saw. He was quite short and slight, his clothes were simple but suited him in their cut and colour perfectly. Usually Dwarves like him would see a too tall, too rough Dwarf like Dwalin and would feel nervous, but perhaps the help Dwalin had offered made the Dwarf feel comfortable.

“You’re not from around here?” Dwalin asked, wondering why he was still standing there.

“No, I wander from settlement to settlement to sell my wares and work in peace,” the Dwarf patted the basket with the wooden tools. “It’s not that heavy.”

Dwalin raised his eyebrows and the Dwarf shrugged.

“I’m a weaver, I don’t need to rent a forge or look for construction sites.”

Dwalin watched him start tying the baskets together with a few leather strings and then pick them up to carry.

“Let me help you?” Dwalin asked. It wasn’t like he had to be anywhere that day, and helping that Dwarf would be more useful than sitting in his home or wandering the markets aimlessly.

The Dwarf nodded and showed Dwalin how to best pick up the baskets. They weren’t too heavy even all together, but if the Dwarf had travelled a lot he would be tired surely.

“My name is Nori,” he introduced himself as they started walking.

“Dwalin.”

Still Nori was smiling. Who wouldn’t, when help was offered?

“Do you know where you’re going?” he asked, adjusting his hold on Nori’s belongings.

“Yes, I arranged for a room before I fetched these.”

They walked through the streets, away from the part of the market Dwalin had been heading for originally.

“What are you doing here, if I may ask?” Nori asked, glancing at Dwalin. “You live in this settlement, don’t you?”

Dwalin had fallen in step with Nori, automatically walking slower than he usually would have to not have the smaller Dwarf need to hurry along.

“Yes. I do… Things. Mostly guard jobs or anything they need raw strength for.”

He could see Nori look at him from the corner of his eye, most likely taking in the many scars showing on Dwalin’s face and arms. While Dwalin was nearly too young to be one of the veterans, it was easy to guess that he might have been in the war and lived through Azanulbizar. He wondered if the pretty Dwarf would judge him somehow, see an old warrior who didn’t really do anything with his life. It bothered him a little, to have somebody think less of him for it.

Before Dwalin’s mood could fall with those thoughts Nori stopped at an inn and turned around.

“I can take it from here, thank you for the help.”

He was still smiling at Dwalin as he took the baskets from him, and it looked genuine, not just the polite grin of somebody you helped. Somehow Dwalin noticed that Nori had dimples on his cheek, and the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled.

“Nothing to thank for,” he muttered, aware that he might seem rude the way he spoke so little and under his breath.

Nori pushed the door open with his foot, looking at Dwalin until the last possible moment.

“Hope to see you again, Dwalin,” he said, right before he slipped through the door and was gone.

Dwalin stared at the dark wood in a stupor, not moving for way too long. Finally he shook his head and went to return to the market. He had left his home for a reason after all.

*

Though Dwalin had not expected to meet Nori again he had thought of the Dwarf every once in a while over the next day. He rarely spoke to people when he wasn’t buying something from them or working along other guards or sell-swords, and none of them had been like the small weaver, none had been a crafter or so pretty…

It only took two days after the first meeting to run into him again. There was a little store in a building near one of the settlements smallest markets, belonging to a Dam who cut crystals and often paid to have the backdoor of her workshop guarded when she was away or busy selling or had more wares than usual stored away. It paid fine and Dwalin just had to sit near the entrance and sometimes maybe flex his muscles when somebody was giving the shop’s displays a suspicious look. Perhaps it might be called boring, but if Dwalin was just going to sit around he might as well be paid for it.

The stalls near the stores had ever changing vendors, Dwarves who were just passing through the settlement or only rarely had something to sell worth enough to rent a little space.

When Dwalin arrived he noticed the pieces of cloth hanging around the stall closest to the spot he sat and guarded at. Shawls that looked soft even from a distance, with colourful and tasteful patterns. He was sure that his mother would like some of the displays he saw.

It took him a moment to realize that he knew the vendor.

Nori had a beautiful smile for Dwalin as soon as he spotted him. He had one of the baskets in his hands, just done with arranging all his wares around himself. Instead of a table to put everything on, he’d spread a big blanket under the stall’s roof and hung the shawls and cloths on stands.

“Dwalin!” he greeted, sounding happier to see the warrior than anyone outside of Dwalin’s family ever did.

“Nori,” Dwalin nodded, not sure if he was able to hide how pleased he was about seeing the weaver as well.

“Are you here to buy, or for your own business,” Nori asked, raising an eyebrow as he saw the axes on Dwalin’s back.

“Guarding,” Dwalin replied, gesturing at the store by Nori’s stall.

He sat on the usual seat he took, placed his axes near him within easy reach and crossed his arms over his chest so that both his muscles and the well worn knuckle dusters were in perfect display. Near him Nori took a pillow that had been lying on the blankets and started to shift it around. Only when he sat down did Dwalin realize that Nori had moved his own seat so that he was closer to Dwalin, and could see him without his wares blocking his view.

“That’s very fortunate. I wasn’t looking forward to spending the entire day alone here. Always nicer to have somebody for a chat and good company.”

Dwalin didn’t snort at that. How would a gentle Dwarf like Nori find his company anything but bothersome for prolonged times?

“Won’t that distract you from your work?”

Nori waved him off.

“Never, it’s just selling after all. Don’t think the sales ever went down because of chatting, and my brother isn’t here to nag about it.”

Dwalin couldn’t help but smile. He watched as Nori gathered some rolls of yarn out of his bag, and then a wooden frame. There already was the start of a pattern in blue and turquoise on the loom, and Nori set to work on with it.

“Have you ever seen the sea?” he asked as he looked up.

Dwalin had been staring as Nori’s hands moved the shuttle back and forth quickly, and he didn’t bother to look away when he was caught. He shrugged.

“I did,” he said, thinking back to the times he’d travelled to the edges of the Blue Mountains. It had seemed too vast and scary, but undeniably beautiful. “I’ve never been close, never needed to leave the mountains when I was travelling there.”

“This is supposed to be the waves. I sometimes sold things near the sea, and on some days it’s just breath-taking,” Nori said as he glanced down on his work. He laughed. “Not really a pattern for Dwarves of the region. And Men wouldn’t buy cloth from Dwarves. Useless pattern for business, but maybe I’ll keep it.”

Dwalin stared at the colours Nori had picked.

“This will suit you,” he commented, immediately regretting it. It was true, near anything would look beautiful on Nori, but that did not mean he’d want to hear such compliments from a Dwarf like Dwalin.

Still Nori stopped moving his hands for a moment to give Dwalin the softest smile.

“Thank you,” he just said and returned his eyes to the work at hand.

They sat quietly for a little while, the noise of the slowly awakening town around them and the clatter of the loom the only thing that kept the silence from getting too much. Dwalin thought back to when he’d seen the sea, wondering about how the waves he’d seen crashing against the cliffs really had made for a gorgeous sight, and how Nori must have studied them for ages if he liked them enough to make a pattern.

“Where else did you travel?” Nori asked after another while, eyes focused on his work now.

Dwalin grunted but took a moment to consider the question. There had been interesting and beautiful places he’d travelled to with Thorin and Glóin, and he wanted to describe something he’d loved.

He did his best to describe everywhere he had travelled when he was younger, before he truly was a warrior, in the years after Erebor’s fall when things hadn’t seemed too bad. He wanted Nori to be engrossed in his tales, tried his best to remember just how things looked and how that’d made him feel. Each time Nori smiled or his eyes widened in shone in fascination Dwalin felt like he had achieved something great.

Their talk was only interrupted when Dwalin glared at passers-by just in case, or when Nori showed somebody his wares and sold them.

In the end of the day Nori rose to gather up his shawls and smiled as he waved at Dwalin.

“Looking forward to the next time,” he said, and now Dwalin really believed that smile.

He stayed behind until his employer came to pay him, and on his way home Dwalin realized that his throat was dry. It took him a little while to realize that he simply had not talked so much at once in too long a time to remember.


	3. Chapter 3

It went on like this for the next weeks.

Nori would always be there when Dwalin worked for the store of the crystal cutter, and he would smile and shift his own seat to talk to him more easily.

Gish laughed at Dwalin when he asked if she needed somebody to work for her more often than he’d ever done before. He’d never taken work with her so often at a time, picking other jobs and waiting for her to ask him instead. She didn’t mind though, content with the help as Dwalin was doing a good job without distraction or with. She did wink at him when they shook hands, but didn’t make a comment.

Dwalin told Nori of the places he had seen, and Nori would do so as well. He had wandered the settlements of Men much more often than Dwalin had, and his stories were quite different, full of pranks and bizarre situations that made Dwalin bite back his roaring laugh.

Nori finished the first design Dwalin had seen him working on, and had it wrapped around his shoulders as a shawl the next day. Dwalin had been right about it, and the beautiful colour complimented Nori’s looks perfectly.

It wasn’t every day Dwalin’s help was needed, and Nori always spoke of how much he had missed the company the next time they saw each other.

Sometimes Nori had a flask of sweet berry juice, which he shared with Dwalin freely, and sometimes he had something to snack on. As Dwalin never took food on such simple guard jobs he accepted readily.

“I nicked these from the breakfast table of the inn,” he said with a wink as he handed Dwalin a folded handkerchief with honeyed cookies.

Dwalin had to force himself to eat slowly and leave enough for Nori to take as well that day. He loved such sweet things, but he didn’t indulge too often. Still Nori must have noticed as he had candy in his pockets from that day on.

It took two weeks for Nori to look at Dwalin one day as he packed his belongings, and suggest they go for a drink. Despite rarely drinking and then only with his family Dwalin agreed, and so they both ended up in the inn Nori stayed at, drinking a jug of ale on some evenings. It was more fun that Dwalin would have imagined, and it allowed him to spend more time with Nori.

He’d never felt the need to seek out anybody’s company in all the years of living on his own, and yet here he was. Dwalin found himself looking forward to the days he was guarding the little shop, he found himself missing Nori’s company when he didn’t. He would watch Nori and feel warmth in his chest, he found himself admiring the beautiful Dwarf with his pleasant voice. Part of Dwalin was sure that Nori wouldn’t be interested in a warrior like him, but it was enough to watch him, to listen to his stories.

It was years since Dwalin had actively desired another Dwarf, but now thoughts of Nori would come to him unbidden when he lay awake at night, with his hand on his cock. It gave Dwalin a pang of guilt at first, as he felt affection towards Nori, didn’t want to think of him that way. Later he just didn’t care anymore. Besides, once they were drinking and Nori wasn’t trying to sell his wares his humour quickly drifted into the filthy.

They grew closer and Dwalin was nearly surprised to realize that he could call Nori ‘friend’.

A few weeks after they had first met they started going out more than just after the work of the day was done. They found a pub, sitting close together and laughing along with everyone else, or singing and slamming their hands on the table when there were dances they didn’t want to join. Dwalin drank several ales, laughing as Nori screwed up his nose at the bitter taste of what this pub was selling. Instead he stuck to sweat mead.

Dwalin drank more than he had in ages, though he didn’t end up drunk from it. It wasn’t far into the night when Nori said he wanted to head back home, and even though Dwalin enjoyed the night out drinking he got up as well.

“I’ll walk you home,” he said, somehow feeling sheepish as Nori thanked him with his eyes narrowed in a quiet smile.

The streets were quiet, the muffled noise from various houses and pubs barely bothering. From the little light reaching the town’s cavern Dwalin could tell that the moon was shining high above the mountains already.

They walked wordlessly and the silence was comfort rather than awkward. Nori’s shoulder bumped against Dwalin’s arm occasionally, warm at his side.

They reached the inn Nori stayed at way too soon, and they did not part. Instead of slipping through the door and leaving him as Nori usually did when Dwalin accompanied him, he stood there, looking up at Dwalin with his big golden eyes. He was leaning closer towards him, and Dwalin reached out to stroke his hand over Nori’s cheek before he leaned down for a kiss.

Nori’s lips were soft and gentle as he chased Dwalin’s mouth for more kisses, his hands came up to curl against Dwalin’s shirt to keep him in place. It was the sweetest thing, the mead on Nori’s lips and his soft sighs of pleasure making Dwalin’s heart skip.

When they finally parted Nori’s hands still were on Dwalin’s shirt, and he tugged him towards the door gently, eyes wide and dark and questioning.

At a loss of how to act Dwalin simply caught Nori around the waist to pull him back into his reach for more kisses. They grew heated then, Dwalin kissing along Nori’s cheek and hearing the gasped suggestions and brief explanation of what Dwalin could expect this night.

The did enter the inn before they could do anything counting as public indecency. Nori led the way to his room where Dwalin had never been before, and neither bothered to light a lamp once Nori locked the door behind them.

They fell into bed and kissed as they clumsily got rid of each other’s clothes, discarding them on the floor carelessly. Nori made the most delicious little gasps when Dwalin ran his hands over his body, palmed at his soft chest and kissed his skin wherever he could reach it.

They stroked each other off, kissed and held on. Nori’s hands clenched in his pillows as Dwalin gently slid two fingers inside him, and stroked Nori’s gem to make him cry out in pleasure.

Nori’s own soft hands were a wonderful sensation on Dwalin’s cock, and Dwalin had to bite down on his own knuckles to keep himself from bellowing out too loudly.

When they had both reached their climax they sank against the bed, gasping softly as they held on to each other and caught their breath. Nori found a rag to clean them both off and then Dwalin pulled the blankets up around them to sleep with Nori cradled against his chest.

Dwalin woke to the light of the sun streaming in through the window of a strange room, and Nori’s dishevelled hair spread over his chest. He was still sleeping and there were bite-marks on his arms and chest. It gave Dwalin a pang of guilt to see. He truly hadn’t meant for Nori to be a drunken one-night fling.

Just before he could blame himself any more for any of this, Nori cracked an eye open. He smiled and shifted around to press a kiss to the corner of Dwalin’s mouth.

“Morning,” he whispered, voice rough with sleep.

Nori looked so _precious_ in that moment, and Dwalin’s heart skipped a beat.Something of his worry seemed to have showed on his face though.

“I liked last night,” Nori told him, one hand coming up to brush through Dwalin’s beard. “We could repeat that sometime, if you want to.”

Dwalin couldn’t help but smile as he pulled Nori in for a hug.

“Of course.”


	4. Chapter 4

Meeting the Dwarf named Dwalin face to face was an easy thing. 

Before Nori entered the in a shape not meant to hide away, he spent a few days just watching the big warrior who’d woken his interest. A whiff of smoke no bigger than the small fox spirit would move through the shadows in the streets and rest on rooftops and behind corners to watch the settlement, to reacquaint himself with the place and the people. He watched the warrior to see if he was worth the time and see what kind of person he was when he wasn’t on his own. 

The Dwarf was so quiet, so solitary that Nori had trouble finding out about him easily, and he even worried that he had no interest in any sort of company of his own kind at first. Eventually he learned more and more about the Dwarf through those who lived near him or those he interacted with during work or on the streets, all of it only waking his interest. 

His name was Dwalin - and wasn’t it just a lovely word on Nori’s tongue – he had been a warrior, but now he mostly worked as a guard or sellsword, taking any kind of assignment and accepting even pitifully little pay. It made Nori wonder whether Dwalin was naïve and easy to cheat or whether the worth of Dwarven currency had changed drastically since he’d last walked among them. 

Then he learned of Dwalin’s family, who lived in Ered Luin’s bigger cities, of the money he kept for them, of how some of his more regular employers knew of it and told him to greet his relatives each time he travelled to see them. Dwalin was fiercely loyal it seemed, but he had nobody he was committed to, not even anyone in a more open relationship. A good thing, since Nori didn’t really have the interest to try and to seduce somebody into cheating who had actually been quite kind to the fox. 

While he was at it Nori couldn’t help sniff out the riches and houses worth robbing as he walked unseen. He kept away from anyone seeing any part of him, even though he wasn’t more than smoke, kept away from guards and the few dogs of the settlement, softly growling at those from a safe distance. If things with Dwalin didn’t work out Nori could at least leave with something nice for his lair, but for now he’d keep his eyes out without taking. 

With how Dwalin behaved and never showed interest in anyone for anything it was hard to tell what he’d look for in a Dwarf, but Nori didn’t bother trying to figure that one out. His preferred shape would do. It was his own, in a way, perhaps as much as the fox and the small cloud of smoke was. 

Nori was quite slight for a Dwarf, with sharp features and eyes and hair of a colour as it was when he was a fox. He had an elegance about him, a mischief, perhaps a little too close to the truth, as centuries ago another Dwarf had laughed and said he was a sly fox through and through. It didn’t matter, nobody would think he was _actually_ a fox. 

There was realness to the shape, which was hard to achieve when trying other forms. The laughter lines on his face matched up the way Nori smiled with this mouth, the body had quirks the fox would not have picked up after only a few days, Nori had let the times he’d used the shape over the centuries affect the scars and callouses on his body. Too little for someone as old as him, but they matched up with the young age he picked for his appearance. He had freckles and the softest hair everywhere, a small chest and a forge, both perfect to toy with or have others touch. When he was younger and still trying out the shapes other than his real one, Nori had figured out that he could get the most pleasure out of his body that way, and by now he loved it enough to steal away from the forests as a Dwarf for just a night, simply to enjoy the sensations. 

Nori prepared his body, got used to moving in it again, which went quickly. Then he started to gather things a Dwarf would believably carry around while journeying through the mountains. He’d done so before, many times over, but it took a while to assemble the things from his den or acquire them from caravans, always just taking enough to not be noticed or easily be dismissed as forgetting items or losing smaller ones. 

When the day finally came a wanderer arrived in the nameless settlement, clothes dusty from the road and baskets of cloth and yarn on his back. None paid him any mind, no more than one would watch any pretty Dwarf arrive. Nori smiled, and went to find the Dwarf who caught his attention. 

*

It went easier than Nori had expected. He meant to set up a little shop near the place he knew Dwalin was meant to guard for a while, and then speak to him under some pretence or cause something to have Dwalin address him. Having his things thrown over in the street and Dwalin come to help him was unexpected, but a very pleasant surprise. It would give Dwalin reasons to not ignore any attempt to speak to him, and perhaps even woke his curiosity as well. 

Nori was glad that he had wandered so much before, as in the following days Dwalin would speak to him and tell him stories, listening to Nori’s attentively and none had to be made up either. Dwalin was terribly endearing Nori realized, as the big warrior tried so hard to impress Nori with the beautiful places he had seen, with stories of wandering with his cousins and brother. Where anyone of Dwalin’s statue and position would try to impress Nori by showing off strength and tales of battle, Dwalin seemed to avoid these things completely in favour of funny tales. 

He was gruff, but Nori already knew how gentle he could be, and it was easy to tell the quieter aspects of his nature were there even now as time went on. 

There was so little Nori had to do in order to wake Dwalin’s interest, it was nearly surprising. Dwalin would compliment him awkwardly, over and over again, and soon Nori noticed how Dwalin was watching him in contemplation and near shyly. 

As they grew closer Nori felt like he was fond of Dwalin as more than just the curious Dwarf with the gentle hands who spent so much time near the forests. 

There was sincerity about him, a stubbornness that Nori knew was part of any Dwarf but was very evident in the way Dwalin spoke and led his life. When he could Nori would sneak about and listen to what others had to say of Dwalin, and he knew of the way he lived and how he could do so much better. It made Nori want to make sure that Dwalin had it good. 

Dwalin sought his company even outside them meeting by chance and during their work, and Nori made sure to send all the right signals to let Dwalin know that his attention was wanted and appreciated. 

When they went out to drink one night Nori was near certain that he’d get lucky if he pushed for more. Not too much, he was giddy to have what Dwalin could give him, but he _would_ be patient if soft touches and perhaps a kiss were as much as he could get right now. He drank and watched Dwalin relax, pleased beyond measure to see his Dwarf unwind in ways he apparently hadn’t for way too long. The mead was sweet and reminded Nori of home, but it wasn’t enough to get a spirit drunk on so little even a small one as he was. 

He wasn’t surprised when Dwalin offered to bring him home, after Nori decided to head back much too early for a nice night as this. He wasn’t surprised when he got a kiss from the Dwarf when they had reached his place, but he was a little surprised when Dwalin pulled him in his arms to kiss him more, to hold him so close and leave Nori breathless. 

Nori felt entirely too excited when they finally made it to his room and out of their clothes. He’d wanted Dwarves before, and wanted Dwalin for a while now, but he rarely wanted the gentle touches and the affectionate gaze Dwalin was giving him as he needed it right now. 

He’d been right about the gentleness of Dwalin’s hands. Nori shivered under Dwalin’s touches, the kisses the slow caresses, as if this wasn’t just a one night fling… 

Of course, with how Dwalin had watched him… 

Nori wanted all of Dwalin all at once, wanted to taste and touch, feel the solid muscles and the beautiful pattern of scars and tattoos. He wanted to have Dwalin’s cock in him and bring him pleasure with just his mouth and give Dwalin just as much as he wanted to take; he wasn’t _too_ selfish after all. 

There would be time to have all of this later. 

Dwalin didn’t fuck him that night but the rough callouses of his fingers and his kisses everywhere were more than enough to get Nori off. He didn’t hold back on the soft cries that escaped his mouth at it, and he nearly laughed as he saw Dwalin trying hard not to let out too much noise when his climax approached. 

They held each other after, once they were cleaned up and still trembling from the pleasure. It was like a liquid fire all through Nori’s body, thrumming in him just the right way. He had _missed_ the kind of pleasure this body could give him this way. 

Nori didn’t need to sleep now, but he’d never minded it, so when Dwalin pulled him in to cradle against his chest as if he were a doll he stayed. Close and warm with his cheek against Dwalin was comforting, and Nori found that it brought him as much pleasure as having Dwalin stroke him off, just different. He smiled as he planned what to do come morning and fell into a light and peaceful sleep. 

When Dwalin woke it was morning already, and Nori watched as he slowly returned to consciousness. There was uncertainty in him, Nori could clearly see it, and it wouldn’t do to have Dwalin second-guess himself and decide things had been a drunken mistake. 

“I liked last night. We could repeat that sometime, if you want to,” he told Dwalin after a soft kiss. 

He had to let him know that he didn’t regret a thing. That he had liked it, that he wanted more, that Dwalin was welcome to all of Nori could give. 

Nori knew he’d won against Dwalin’s worries when he was pulled into a hug and felt Dwalin smile. 

“Of course.”

They lay like that for a while, enjoying the closeness and the warmth of being together like this. Nori half wanted to go for a morning round, but Dwalin was kissing his hair and idly stroked over his arm, and the fox couldn’t bring himself to give that sensation up for sex. 

Eventually Dwalin stirred and started to get up though. 

“Is there a bathroom somewhere?” he asked, keeping his hands on Nori even as he was half out of bed. 

“Just down the hallway.”

Nori sat up to recline against the pillows as Dwalin found his clothes and got dressed. He took his pipe from the nightstand and lit it to take a pull as he watched the Dwarf put on pants and a shirt. He really did look gorgeous, naked like that as well. Nori hadn’t paid attention to it too much last night, but now he really could take in the scars and muscles and tattoos decorating Dwalin. 

Dwalin noticed the appreciative gaze and smirked at Nori, though he didn’t slow the process of putting on clothes into a tease, as Nori would have done. He did return to the bed to press a kiss against Nori’s lips briefly before he turned to leave for the bathroom. Nori was proud that he didn’t whimper at both that and the sudden end to the kissing. 

When the door closed Nori took another drag from the pipe and hummed thoughtfully. He liked Dwalin much more than he thought he would when he’d first changed into a Dwarf. He wanted to make sure that Dwalin was happy, but other than offering his companionship and some mutual pleasure it there wasn’t much Nori could think of doing. Not without revealing his powers. 

He blew some smoke into the air and watched it change its shape into a deer to lope about the room. Nori only let it exist for a few moments before it dissolved back into a small whiff of smoke as it should be. 

Perhaps he could make sure that Dwalin could earn a little bit more, to keep for himself while having enough for his family. Guards would be needed a little more if something was stolen. 

The prospect excited Nori a little, seeing as this was the second best kind of joy he could hope to get in this settlement. His stay was going to be fun indeed.


	5. Chapter 5

Days stretched on in a comfortable routine. Dwalin would find work wherever his help was needed and Nori would set out his wares every day to sell the beautiful textiles and weave more. Even when Dwalin wasn’t guarding Gish’s crystal store, he would come to meet Nori in the evening. They would go out to drink together, or wander the rocky paths around the settlement, hand in hand.

Soon it was common knowledge among their acquaintances that the two of them were sweet on each other. Dwalin wasn’t really one to display his affection publicly, but it really wasn’t hard to see when he would always hover by Nori’s side with a soft expression, both of them leaning against each other and always found as a pair. 

Perhaps the time Nori had slung his arms around Dwalin’s neck in a tavern to kiss him hard, and Dwalin had responded by wrapping his around Nori’s waist to lift him up was a definite clue as well.

Dwalin couldn’t even really pinpoint what he enjoyed the most about spending his time with the weaver; getting to be by his side during the days, or the nights he would be invited back to Nori’s room. There was no one to watch them and Dwalin could kiss Nori as much as he wanted, touch and stroke him everywhere and feel his shudders and how nicely he fit in his arms. Nori was pleased with just about anything Dwalin enjoyed in bed, and he seemed quite happy with Dwalin just being there as well.

Sometimes Dwalin would wake up in Nori’s bed, still half asleep to see him idly petting Dwalin’s chest and tracing his tattoos and the scars that only now started to look like they weren’t fresh wounds. Sometimes Dwalin would stretch and make sure his leg - where he’d gotten the worst of his wounds during Azanulbizar - wouldn’t be hurting, and Nori would watch instead of rolling over and going back to sleep.

At first Dwalin had felt strangely self-conscious about it, though there really wasn’t any shame in his scars and how some of them still bothered him. Later it just made him want Nori to be there at any time. He wasn’t sure why, but Dwalin felt how he would love it if Nori would sleep in the same bed as him even on nights when they weren’t having sex when that happened.

Perhaps it was the easy and comfortable intimacy of those moments…

Despite all that, Nori hadn’t actually visited Dwalin in his own home yet, and it made little difference to Dwalin either way. The house he called his own wasn’t giving him the feeling of home any more than any inn’s room would; having nobody else nearby being the one difference. Once or twice Nori would accompany Dwalin home, but there never had been a reason to invite him yet.

Things were comfortable, so when one of the guards he was working with told him that there would be another caravan in need of sell-swords, Dwalin hesitated for the first time.

He promised to think about whether he could join or not, sure that he’d have the time to think it through. It was one of Tulek’s caravans, and he rarely turned anyone away.

That day Dwalin nearly dreaded meeting Nori, somehow feeling like he had to talk this through with him. It wasn’t really anything that should concern Nori besides knowing that Dwalin might not be there for two or three weeks, and yet Dwalin wanted him to know before he even decided. He’d never been one to take much care in what his lovers might think in the past, when he’d accompanied Thorin on his travels either, so this was doubly strange to think about.

He told Nori about it in the small room he’d rented, both of them cradling mugs of broth the innkeeper had offered the lodgers. It was warm and comfortable in the little room, especially as a shock of remaining winter-cold had managed to cool the mountains down quite a bit. Dwalin sat on the chair, one of Nori’s beautiful shawls around his shoulders for warmth, and Nori sitting across from him on the bed.

“What kind of caravan is that?” Nori asked, not upset or angry with any of this, as Dwalin had feared a lover might react. In retrospect, it wouldn’t have been like Nori to do so.

“Trade,” Dwalin told him. “Though I haven’t the faintest ‘bout what Tulek wants moved anyway.”

Nori cradled his mug against his face, warming himself and frowning as he thought.

“Ain’t that the one you once mentioned? The one who tried to tried to short-change you that one time?”

Dwalin rolled his shoulders in a shrug, the insult of that already out of his mind.

“He’s always got work. No matter who you are or whether you even had official training or anything, so long as you can hold a weapon and scare anyone away. It’s pretty convenient for old soldiers with no real trade.”

“You’re not old and you do have a trade,” Nori muttered, his frown deepening.

Dwalin shrugged again. It both might be true, but his trade wouldn’t have done him well in his situation, and there was little he could offer besides his brawn. Though the pay was small, caravans like that had always been a relief for Dwarves like him, who’d not known what to do with themselves in the decade that had passed since the war and had family to take care of… 

“Will it be safe?” Nori asked, and this time Dwalin could hear the concern in his voice.

Somehow that made his heart clench in affection, and the thought of not _needing_ to go anywhere crossed his mind.

“I don’t know where it’s going yet, but the routes are never too dangerous. It’s unlikely that there’ll be any snowfall this year anymore either, so I will return to you quickly-”

He hadn’t even meant to say those last few words, and Dwalin’s cheeks heated up at it. Nori’s eyes narrowed in a smile. He set his mug aside and reached out for Dwalin, bidding him to come to him.

Dwalin couldn’t have let him wait for anything in the world, and he was there in a heartbeat, wrapping the small Dwarf in his arms until he was being pulled down onto the bed. Nori clung to him as he tugged his blankets around them and over their heads, cosy and protected and warm, with only the dimmed light of a single candle reaching them.

“And you’ll try to hurry home to me, won’t you?” Nori asked with a laugh as he rubbed the cold top of his nose against Dwalin’s.

He giggled when Dwalin kissed his nose in retaliation and held him closer against his chest. It was a silly thing, he knew, and there was no reason for it truly, but Dwalin knew that he would do his best to be back as soon as he could the moment he left the mountains behind.

“I promise. Wouldn’t want to miss out on you,” Dwalin joked, and in his heart he knew it was the truth.


	6. Chapter 6

The caravan set out three days later, for which Dwalin got a good tall pony to use as he accompanied the merchants and wares as well, and his axes gleamed in the early morning sunlight. They had four wagons this time, pulled by ponies and goats, as well as a few travellers who’d be joining the caravan in one direction. Dwalin knew the all other guards who’d been hired this time, and he felt fairly confident about the trip.

Nori met Dwalin on his way towards the gates, the baskets of his wares with him already though it was still too early for the market to have many people there. He had a small bag made from good sturdy material, with subtle green embroidery and his own maker’s mark stitched into it, containing a few hard cakes and a spare whetstone just in case. It wasn’t much, but Dwalin’s heart sang with pleasure as he thanked Nori for the little gift, and had to promise once more that he would come back soon.

It was cold outside, despite the sunshine feebly trying to warm up the land, and patches of snow still lay here and there. That wouldn’t be an issue, as the caravan would move down the mountains to warmer routes and Dwalin still doubted there’d be any more truly cold days that year.

Only one hour had passed when Dwalin dug out one of the cakes Nori had given him, to nibble on it as he rode. He wanted to save them up, but he also knew that they might go bad if he waited too long.

His prediction of wanting to turn back and return to Nori had been true, and even some of his companions noticed.

“Young love,” they teased, nodding with knowing smiles.

“Got that too, when I first met my jewel.”

“Must be someone special to get through to _you_ like this.”

Dwalin would bristle each time somebody said things like this, but it wasn’t like he could deny something this obvious. They let him be after that first day, and the rest of the journey proceeded to be quite uneventful.

Once or twice they would hear wolves closer to the caravan than Dwalin liked, and a scout would see signs of people passing by in the distance. There was no need to fight for anyone’s safety though, so that was fine by him.

They moved south until they reached their destination after six days of travel. It was a nice little town by a river, with trade going up and down the water, and though it wasn’t close enough to the sea that one could see it, Dwalin felt as if he could taste the salt in the wind.

It would take the merchants a few days to sell all they’d brought along and buy whatever they wished to take back, and though Dwalin usually didn’t mind those times, he now felt horribly restless, and couldn’t wait to be back on the road, going back…

Normally Dwalin used the time to wander around the edges of whatever settlements he visited, breathing the clear air and trying to clear his mind of anything that was weighing him down. Sometimes he’d join the others from his company for drinks, if the merchants felt like buying their sell-swords a drink, but otherwise Dwalin barely cared for what was going on there.

This time however, he decided to spend his time actually taking in the market and the sales and see what he had been protecting.

He saw potters who had arranged their wares in such a way that the clay shone as bright as metal in the sun, and a Dwarf who made gorgeous instruments out of wood and sinews and performed on them for an entranced crowd of Men and Dwarves. There were several who had small stands to sell food that could be eaten while walking; a generous portion of meat wrapped in bread, roasted nuts spiced with sea salt, countless dishes of fish and even something that smelled like the dishes Dwalin’s mother had made with recipes her family had brought back from the Orocarni mountains.

Dwalin got some of the latter in a bout of nostalgia, thanking the Dwarf for the food with the usual phrase in his mother’s dialect. Dwalin ended up chatting with that Dwarf for a little while, their face lighting up in a smile as they spoke of how it had been their mother who taught them the recipe as well.

After that Dwalin’s mood was strangely high for the rest of the day. He couldn’t remember the last time he had simply enjoyed himself so much in idle solitude. He wasn’t even doing anything specific, and there was no heaviness in his heart, nor any thought crossing his mind that would interrupt his good mood.

Dwalin didn’t question it too much after noticing, just shrugged it off and went about exploring the market. After a while he noticed how there barely were any Dwarves around him anymore. There still were some walking around and looking at wares, but the stalls were now built higher in that part of the market, and only Men were selling their goods in that area.

Not one to shun non-Dwarvish craftspeople Dwalin started looking at what they had to offer. As far as he could tell he'd wandered into the part of the market where fishing folk bought gear and parts for their boats. Hooks of various sizes and ropes were hanging here and there, and nets of any kind, as well as planks and lamps that would protect the flame within from stray drops of water.

It was nothing that might be of any use to Dwalin, so there was nothing to catch his eye. There were enough Men speaking to each of the vendors for Dwalin to not want to stop and try to chat with any of them to have them talk about their crafts as he might have with a Dwarf. Let them do their work without having to humor a Dwarf who’d never even held a fishing rod in his life. 

One drew his attention after all, and he realized that it was jewellery made from seashells and coral in unique combinations. He stepped closer at that, always drawn to such fine things, even if there was little metal and no gems to be found in the work.

Dwalin couldn’t recognize the different kinds of sea-treasures worked into the individual pieces, but he couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the objects. Tiny seashells and dried starfish were sewn into leather pieces, and coral and amber were set in copper in crude ways that looked intentional. There were hairpieces and wristbands, and most of it shone with such beauty that Dwalin’s fingers itched to try and work with the unusual materials, just to create something as gorgeous as that. It wasn’t gems or stone or metal for the most part, or at least not enough for Dwalin to _feel_ it; but he couldn’t deny that these materials could be worked into jewellery no Dwarf would be ashamed to wear instead of stone.

“Looking to buy?” the vendor asked.

It was a woman of Men, looking to be middleaged from what Dwalin could tell, her face dark and her skin marked by the elements, revealing that she must have spent some time at sea. Perhaps she had even worked to gather the materials used for her wares herself as well.

“This just caught my eye,” Dwalin replied. “I’ve never seen materials used like this.”

“Keen eyes, Master Dwarf,” the woman nodded, and leaned back on her seat. She must not have many Dwarves actually purchase anything from her.

He stayed for a little while longer, looking at the many different objects on display. He was about to move on when something shiny and blue caught his eyes. A closer look showed that it was a small brooch set out on a cushion. There was a pattern of small smooth stone, which had caught Dwalin’s eye due to their pretty colour, and tiny white and brown shells.

Somehow the colour made Dwalin think of the seashore, of waves crashing against stone and spraying up in white foam. 

It also made him think of hands working on a loom to create stylized patterns of waves and the sea. Nori had talked about it, the first time they’d had a proper conversation.

That little brooch would look lovely holding Nori’s shawl in place, suiting the theme he’d gone for in the first place and… it would just look lovely on Nori in general.

“Is this one for sale?” Dwalin asked, and pointed out the brooch he wanted, surprising the woman a little. They settled on a price rather quickly, as Dwalin didn’t mind going easy on haggling to purchase the pretty thing.

It was wrapped into cloth to cushion it properly, and Dwalin gingerly put it in a pouch in a hidden pocket on the inside of his coat.

That night Dwalin joined the rest of his company for drinks, surprising them in celebrating the good journey as loudly as any of them, and being in high spirits as well. Some teased him again, asking what he’d been up to, but Dwalin just grinned and told them to drink up. The little brooch in his pocket felt too important a secret to speak of it to anyone.

The weather worsened a little over the next day, and the wind was damp and icy when it was time to set out for their journey home. Several of the Dwarves tightened their furs around their shoulders and curse. The ponies were readied, and any wares going back were secured. This time nobody was joining the main caravan, and there was no delay.

The entire journey home lasted just shy of a fortnight, and every day Dwalin grew more restless. His heart hadn’t yearned for mountains for so long, but this time he wanted to be back under the Blue Mountains’ rock. He wanted to be back in the same mountain range as where his kin was, and he wanted to see Nori again.

A rider was sent to go ahead when they approached, to let any guards at the gates know they were coming, and message Tulek as well. Everyone who had family also most likely would be welcomed, as news about caravan arrivals tended to spread quickly among anyone expecting a return. Despite it Dwalin wasn’t sure that Nori would hear as well, given that this was the first time he’d be waiting for somebody in that particular settlement and that he would probably be at the market for his work…

They passed the gates into the main road of the settlement and moved on to Tulek’s warehouse. Occasionally Dwalin heard the names of his companions called from the Dwarves passing by, as their friends and family spotted them and waved in greeting. He didn’t expect to hear his own name called right before he reached the warehouse, and even before he had the chance to look around Dwalin knew that it was Nori.

He spotted the small Dwarf leaning against a nearby building, smiling brightly and wrapped in a thick shawl in warm browns with a white pattern, something Dwalin had seen him working on before.

Nori walked along with the ponies, his smile warming Dwalin’s heart.

He made sure that the merchants had all reached the warehouse safely, and that nobody needed any help with unloading the crates and bags either. Dwalin didn’t even pay much attention to Tulek’s usual muttering and nagging as handed out the pay for each of his sellswords. How could he care for such little things when Nori was waiting just a few feet away from him?

To his credit Dwalin didn’t speed up as he walked towards Nori until he was only one step away, and then he gathered him up in his arms, nearly lifting the smaller Dwarf off his feet.

“I take it you missed me?” Nori joked as Dwalin squeezed him to his chest, revelling in how warm and soft that hug felt.

“More than you know,” Dwalin said as he released Nori, with his hands lingering on his shoulders.

Nori’s eyes narrowed as he smiled, shining like amber. He linked their arms together to walk comfortably after Dwalin adjusted the pack on his back, and Dwalin didn’t even mind that they probably would end up in Nori’s little room before he even got the chance to go back to his own house.

It seemed a better idea anyway. He could pay a few coins to have a bath prepared for him and properly relax after the journey. Besides, why would Dwalin even want to leave when Nori was there with him?

They walked down the streets as Nori asked him about his journey, and Dwalin wanted to know whether he’d missed anything in the settlement. It was so comfortable with him, as if Dwalin hadn’t even left in the first place.

“I brought ye something,” he said, voice gruff in a brief wave of embarrassment.

With Nori at his side his gift felt silly somehow, but Dwalin reached in his pocket to find the small brooch he’d bought. He gave it to Nori, letting him unwrap the present and take a look.

“Oh! What a pretty little thing,” Nori said, eyes wide as he turned it to take a better look. He ran his thumb over the shells and stones, letting out an appreciative hum.

“I saw it and thought of that shawl you wanted to make for yourself… You know, the one you said was meant to be the sea. I thought this would look pretty with it…”

Dwalin felt his cheeks heat up as he spoke, but Nori’s excited expression made clear that he didn’t deem the gift sappy or inappropriate.

“I’ll cherish it,” Nori promised and leaned up to press a kiss to Dwalin’s cheek.

At the inn Nori ordered them a wonderfully big portion of stew and bread to share between them, hearty and hot and just what Dwalin needed after the long travel in the cold. There were other Dwarves around, but Nori sat close to Dwalin and it was comfortable like that.

When Dwalin had wiped his bowl clean with the last bit of bread he went to ask the innkeeper to prepare him a bath. There was running water in the building, albeit it still had to be heated up for a nice soak anyway. The main bath chamber was close to the room Nori had been renting, so they both went up to put away Dwalin’s pack first.

The bath chamber itself was just a small room with a tub, a bench and several buckets, as well as a small hearth to heat up water from lukewarm to just right. Dwalin laid down a few towels on the bench before he set to washing the dust and dirt of the road off his body. He took the time to even brush out his beard and hair as well, putting himself in order before he gripped the edge of the tub and carefully climbed inside.

The water was so hot that it sent a pleasant shiver up Dwalin’s spine, and he let out a groan as he settled in the tub comfortably. His legs tingled with the heat, and he could feel himself relax within moments. The tub wasn’t big enough to stretch out fully, but Dwalin didn’t mind the position he ended curling up in, and he was sure he could stay in the bath forever.

Dwalin didn’t know how long he had stayed there already; feeling his muscles unwind and the heat melt away any stiffness in him. He was so cosy where he was, that he barely even looked up when he heard the door open and the sound of bare feet over stone coming nearer. He only turned his head when Nori kneeled down by the side of the tub, arms crossed over the edge and chin resting against them.

“Comfortable?” he asked, and Dwalin replied in a hum.

Nori had changed into the comfortable loose shirt he would wear to bed most days, and had brushed his hair out of its peaks and into a loose knot. He looked so soft and comfortable that Dwalin nearly wanted to pull him into an embrace, even knowing that he’d get him hopelessly wet.

Nori ran his fingertips over the water’s surface, causing tiny waves to splash against Dwalin’s chest.

“Do you need anything? I could fetch food or anything you want.”

Dwalin shook his head at that. He honestly couldn’t think of anything else he might want besides what he already had here with him.

“No, ‘ve got all I could ask for already.”

Nori grinned at him, splashing the water one more time before he got up and returned to the door. There, he glanced over his shoulder for a moment, eyebrows raised.

“Don’t stay too long to actually dissolve in there,” he said, lips quirking before he slipped out of the room with a last lingering gaze.

It half tempted Dwalin to get out right away and follow him, but there was no rush. He could enjoy his bath for a little longer and have some time with Nori as well. There was nowhere else he had to be, and somehow he doubted that Nori would be impatient.

Taking his time with it Dwalin got out of the bath, and towelled himself dry. His and beard was a little damp where it had touched the water, but Dwalin just put on his shirt and pants to finally join Nori in his room.

He was greeted by a warm amber glow coming from a single lamp on the table, and Nori was standing there, running a comb through his hair. The sight always mesmerized Dwalin, but when Nori turned to smile at him his breath was taken away. The small Dwarf had undone the neat braids his beard was always in, letting it fall over his chest in kinks. It was longer than Dwalin had expected, and gleamed like fire cascading over Nori’s body.

Dwalin wanted to hold him, run his fingers through that wonderful hair, and Nori seemed to have the same idea as he stepped into his reach with his arms outstretched, begging to be held.

Somehow Dwalin had expected that they would spend some time talking, telling each other about what they’d missed, catching up… From the deep hungry kisses Nori was giving him, and from how his hands dragged over Dwalin’s body it was clear that this bit of the evening would be skipped.

Not that there were any complaints on Dwalin’s part, he’d _missed_ this.

It was easy wrap his arms around Nori’s waist and lift him up, never breaking the kiss. Nori in turn wrapped his legs around Dwalin’s hips as well; the small weaver so light that Dwalin had no trouble holding him as his hair was pulled and Nori moved his hips to rub his body against Dwalin’s crotch.

Dwalin had been exhausted earlier, but no trace of that was left as his cock hardened and he growled against Nori’s lips. The bed seemed more welcoming than trying to grind against each other in the middle of the room, so Dwalin dropped Nori on it, making him laugh as he bounced off the mattress a little.

They were both stripping off their clothes before Dwalin even kneeled on the bed to join Nori, and their hands were on each other as they kissed and stroked over each other’s bodies.

Despite the need to touch and feel all of Nori there wasn’t much urgency in their touches after the first few moments. Instead there was a warmness and a steady pace in their familiarity, Nori’s fingers digging into Dwalin’s skin and Dwalin burying his hands and face in the softest hair he’d ever touched.

For a while Dwalin entertained himself by playing with Nori’s nipples, tugging at them and rubbing at his small chest until Nori whined and arched up against him, so lovely in his growing desperation. Dwalin laughed at him when Nori shuddered and shifted away finally, his nails digging into Dwalin’s skin.

“Don’t want to come without feeling you properly,” he gritted out, trying to keep his pleasure back as well as he could.

“And how do you want me?” Dwalin asked, not managing to keep himself from chuckling and still fondling Nori’s chest and side.

“Properly.”

Nori pushed against Dwalin’s shoulders until he was lying flat on his back, then straddled Dwalin’s legs. Splaying his hands on Nori’s thighs Dwalin let him do what he wanted, kneading his flesh as Nori settled comfortably. Nori reached down to stroke Dwalin’s cock, one, twice, satisfied with how it twitched against his hand before he guided it to his forge. He was already slick in his pleasure from the attention Dwalin had paid to his chest earlier, so smooth and yielding easily as he took Dwalin in fully.

For a moment Nori didn’t move at all, lips slightly parted as he adjusted to Dwalin’s cock filling him up. Then leaned forward, hands spreading over Dwalin’s chest to brace himself against him and started rocking his hips slightly as he rode him.

Dwalin groaned at the feeling of Nori clenching around him, and slowly started moving his hands all over his body as well touching and leaning back to enjoy.

Nori’s hair moved with each of his motions, brushing against Dwalin’s arm occasionally as it fell down to frame Nori’s face. He moved in short sharp thrust, his breath coming out in short broken gasps as well.

The only noises in the room were their quiet gasps and groans with the quiet creak of the bed under Nori’s thrusting motions, back and forth. Sweat covered their skin, making Nori glow under Dwalin’s touches. He could feel his pleasure build so slowly, so nicely, and Dwalin couldn’t stop gazing at Nori moved over him.

Nori was lost in his own pleasure, his face scrunched up in effort as his cheeks and neck flushed pink. 

His breath grew quicker and harsher as he was approaching his peak, words tumbling over his lips in a barely coherent string.

“Hold on, hold on just a little longer, let me feel you,” he got out, not quite clear in who he was saying these things to.

Nori’s movements grew less steady, and Dwalin’s hands came up to both stroke him where he knew he loved it and give him some support. He felt Nori come as he clenched around his cock, letting out a small cry and curling forwards until his head was nearly resting against Dwalin’s chest.

Dwalin thrust up into him, dragging out Nori’s pleasure as much as he could with his movement and his hand rubbing at Nori’s gem where he could reach it. With Nori clinging to him and moaning like that it didn’t take long until he spent hard, digging his heels into the bed and clinging to Nori hard as he snarled through his climax.

They came down from it together, curled against each other as their breath calmed.

Dwalin was the first to regain his senses and he nuzzled against Nori’s hair, pressing a kiss to where it stuck to his forehead.

“Missed this,” Nori purred and stretched with a pleased smile, rolling off just enough to get off Dwalin’s softening cock.

Using the edge of one of Nori’s many blankets Dwalin cleaned himself up a little, and did the same for his lover. They curled up before either of them could get cold, cuddling together with their hands clasped and their faces only inches apart.

Nori’s smile was the most endearing thing Dwalin had laid eyes on in longer than he could remember, eyes dark from pleasure and his cheeks still tinted pink with strands of hair sticking everywhere in disarray. His beard would be a mess later, but he didn’t seem to mind for now as he didn’t move away from his comfortable position at all.

“I missed this so much when I was away,” Dwalin said and reached out to trace Nori’s cheek with his fingers.

Nori closed his eyes and leaned into the touch as he scooted a little bit closer.

If he could Dwalin would stay like this forever, go to sleep and wake up by Nori’s side every day and not have to spend as much time apart from him at all. They were good together like this, even when they weren’t actually sleeping together. They should always have this…

“Would you want to move in with me?” Dwalin asked, the thought clear in his mind.

He didn’t get a reply right at away, and instead Nori stared at him with a furrowed brow.

“Move… in with you?”

Dwalin nodded, half afraid that he had overstepped some boundary, or had made too many assumptions. But he would push on until he was sure of this.

“I would love for you to live in my house. It could be your home, if you want that, we could be together as much as we want. _If_ you want.”

Nori still looked a little confused, but his hands squeezed Dwalin’s gently.

“I do,” he said quietly, making Dwalin breathe a sigh of relief. “I just didn’t expect an invite.”

“I’d gladly have you with me for as long as you’ll have me.”

Nori scooted even closer until his nose rubbed against Dwalin’s affectionately.

“I’d gladly stay with you. For as long as you’ll want me.”


	7. Chapter 7

His house, Dwalin decided, was nearly embarrassingly simple to have his love move in with him. 

Though it was a nice building, there wasn’t much to it besides the naked stone and the things that had already been there when he’d bought it. It was too big for only one Dwarf, with a living space and kitchen and two more rooms to do with as he wished, with running water and a little bath chamber as well. It had seemed too much when he’d bought it from the previous owner who had no use for it anymore, but as the price had been as low as a smaller place, it hadn’t mattered. 

It didn’t make the impression of a space that had been lived in for years. There was the basic furniture and Dwalin’s clothes and weapons carefully stored away or hung on a wall, and food in the pantry. An empty bag and supplies for travelling were there, but that was it. He really only used the bedroom for anything, everything else might as well not be there.

The only personal item that made the house look lived in was a little toy made of wood and chestnuts, already shrivelled up with age. It had been Fíli’s gift to Dwalin on one of his visits, so Dwalin had put it up on the table besides his knives. 

Nori didn’t comment on the lack of anything comfortable or personal in the house when Dwalin helped him carry all of his belongings to their new home. He walked around the rooms to inspect them and get familiar with his new living space; leaving Dwalin to trail behind awkwardly and feeling his ears heat up with shame. 

There wasn’t a real excuse to have the house look like it did, other than Dwalin being convinced that any expense would be a waste of coin that could be sent back home instead. He’d not felt the _need_ and now he regretted it in face of how empty the place looked. 

“We should get a new bed,” was the only thing Nori had to say about what he wanted changed. 

“What’s wrong with mine?” Dwalin asked. His bed was a good solid thing in a corner of the bedroom, and comfortable enough for his taste. 

“Because now it has to hold two Dwarves and all of my blankets. Unless you _like_ it snug and narrow in bed,” he said with a wink, and again Dwalin’s face heated up at the idea. 

He wouldn’t mind having to share a rather narrow space with Nori, but it was true, a place like a shared bed should be as comfortable and roomy as they could make it. 

Dwalin helped Nori put away his things in the wardrobe, that hadn’t been fully filled either way, and then helped as Nori set out his yarns and completed wares. As the living room was just an empty useless hall for now, Nori just hung up most of his things on the walls and stored them in the corner furthest from the fireplace. The colours and soft textiles already made the house feel livelier, and Dwalin stopped fretting about what impression the place made on Nori. 

There wasn’t much to be placed to begin with, so it wasn’t even midday by the time all was done. 

“I will go find a carpenter to commission a bed,” Nori said as he went to look over the bedroom once more. 

“Make it be whatever suits you best, I can sleep on anything,” Dwalin told him. 

They both left the house at the same time, Nori going towards the part of the town where bigger workshops were located, and Dwalin turning to go to the markets. He didn’t cook very big meals much, but it felt like he should prepare something nice to celebrate the occasion. 

Having Nori at his side and in _their home_ was the most perfect occasion Dwalin could think of to try and buy a good ale and mead for once. He’d find some fresh game from the markets, and something to go with it. Maybe even some small pies to share after. 

As the bakery was closest on his way, Dwalin headed there first. The little shop usually had a calmer patch soon before noon, as most customers came in the early hours of the morning. 

He found the owner of the bakery outside their shop, heaving bags of flour inside. Dwalin knew Ushka well enough, as they often needed help with heavy loads of supplies and paid with coin or bread. 

“Dwalin!” the sturdy little baker called out as soon as he came into view. “You’re not looking to buy, are you now?”

“Wanted to see if you have any pastries I could get. Or a sweet pie.”

“Got a special dinner coming up?” Ushka asked, raising their eyebrow at him with a smile. 

It wasn’t often that Dwalin indulged in anything besides the occasional small pastry, so asking for something like that was noticeable. Besides, he was sure that Ushka would have heard some talk about his little love, as they tended to hear a lot of the town’s gossip. 

“Nori just moved in with me,” Dwalin told them, and Ushka smacked his shoulder with a grin. 

“I’ll make sure to have a special pie waiting for you closer to the evening,” they promised. 

Their gaze fell on the flour they’d just dragged into their bakery, where a few young Dwarves were already pulling it towards the storage. 

“Ah tell you what; you help me carry the last few bags I need to get and I’ll even put a free bag of biscuits on top of that pie.”

Dwalin had helped them before, and there was no hurry for him today, so he agreed to follow Ushka towards the warehouse where produce was stored. 

“My order arrived but they have no cart to spare,” Ushka explained as they walked. “So I gotta carry it all myself and it’s hard to balance that weight for one go.”

Ushka flexed their muscles, thick from dragging firewood and flour and big baskets full of bread back and forth all day. There were only four bags left at the warehouse, which was easy enough for two Dwarves to carry in only one go. 

“Has there been anything new while I was away,” Dwalin asked on the way back, both walking slower under the weight and with a care to not rip the bags and get flour all over the streets. 

Ushka often knew if anyone needed a sell-sword, of if pure brawn was needed for work such as Dwalin was doing right now, so it was good to go to them for gossip and attempts to find work. 

“HA! Oh indeed. My dolt of a brother got himself robbed,” Ushka said with an eye roll and a snort. “I keep telling him, you need a guard or at least better locks when you have big new barrels coming in; but no, he’s insisting that his tiny shack of a shop is _secure_.”

“How’d that happen?” Dwalin asked as Ushka was ranting. 

He knew their brother Reshka in passing, as he was the owner of a little dry goods shop, selling some spices and tea and pipe weed. Dwalin would occasionally purchase a small pouch of the latter from him. 

“Apparently he was busy doing something in the front of the shop and didn’t realize that somebody managed to pry a window open from the outside and steal a few small barrels of pipe weed,” Ushka explained. “Easy enough, he always assumed that it’s too much of an effort to climb up there from the outside and grab something. Cause what he sells isn’t worth that much and it’s heavy too.”

They shook their head and adjusted their hold on the bags. The bakery was already in view by now. 

“Obviously it could be done, and nobody lurks around the back of that building. Nobody saw, and despite what Reshka says about how much you’d have to take to make it worth for the money, you can still make easy coin with little anyway. Easy enough to go steal from a fool like that.”

Dwalin helped them carry the bags to the door of the bakery, where assistants quickly helped dragging them inside. 

Ushka stretched their back a little and gave Dwalin a look, sizing him up. 

“Do you have any work coming up soon?” they asked, and Dwalin shook his head. 

“Hadn’t had time to ask around yet.”

“Ah, then I think I can offer you some, if you’re interested. Reshka is still nursing his hurt pride and won’t ask, but his neighbours want their shops guarded too, just to be sure. They’d like to hire a guard to keep an eye on the back alleys and would all pay together. So if you’re up for it or know someone…?”

Dwalin bowed his head in thanks. He would certainly accept an offer like that, as guarding things usually as the best thing he could get to make decent coin quickly. He’d need some, now that he felt he needed to invest in the comfort of his house a little more. 

“I would like that. And I know a few who’d be interested as well.”

“Then it’s a deal. I’ll tell them what you said and then you can arrange a meeting to discuss details and all.”

Dwalin thanked them again and went on his way. 

When Dwalin returned home with all of his purchases, Nori hadn’t come back yet. Dwalin took the time to put away all the food he had bought and arrange his little table so that it would be nice to have dinner together, as he usually didn’t even bother to put a second chair up. Then he started preparing the rabbit he’d bought and chopping up some vegetables to go along with it. As he cooked he made sure to put Ushka’s little pastries near the stove as well, just close enough to keep them warm until it was time to eat. 

Nori returned as Dwalin was starting to arrange the garnish on the plates and eying the cooking rabbit. 

“Mm, do I smell something amazing in here?” Nori asked as he walked into the kitchen, his nose twitching as he leaned over to examine the content of the cooking pan. 

“Thought I’d make something special to welcome you home,” Dwalin said with a chuckle as Nori pressed himself against his back and peeked down on the meat. He batted away Nori’s hand as he reached for it, and Nori danced away with a laugh. 

By the time Dwalin carried the plates to the little table Nori had already found some candles and put them up between them. There weren’t any fancy cups or nice cutlery, but Nori didn’t mind that, just as little as he’d had issue with any other shortcomings of Dwalin’s home. 

The mead tasted just as sweet and Nori voiced his enjoyment of Dwalin’s cooking loudly. They licked their plates clean, both grinning at each other when they figured out that both their older brothers would be scoffing at such manners. 

After Dwalin fetched the pies they settled down comfortably again, warm and full of good food and both pleased with their day. 

“We’ll have a new bed in a day or two,” Nori promised as he nibbled on his pie.

“And I found another job that could last a while,” Dwalin told him. 

Nori frowned at that. 

“Not with that warehouse owner again?”

“No, just some ship-owners who want to protect their wares. I won’t leave on a caravan so soon.”

Nori’s frown smoothed out, but he still looked a little bit miffed as he stared at his pie. They talked about other things for a while, and once his pie was all eaten up Nori stood and walked over to sit in Dwalin’s lap instead. 

Dwalin held him tight as they just enjoyed each other’s company, happy and secure where they were.

“It’s so nice to get to do this right after dinner without being kicked out for public indecency,” Nori said as his hands started stroking over Dwalin’s arms and shoulders. 

“I could still kick you out for indecency,” Dwalin told him with a chuckle, and Nori closed his eyes with a hum. 

“You’re not the public though. And you never complained about my being _indecent_.”

Dwalin kissed Nori’s forehead gently and didn’t reply. They stayed like that for a little while longer before getting up to get ready for bed. 

They curled up together, holding each other tight and Nori making himself small as he hid in Dwalin’s arms. The bed Dwalin already had wasn’t too small after all and he could hide his face against Nori’s hair nicely. They didn’t do anything besides sleep that night, bodies tangled together and feeling safe and comfortable in each other’s arms. 

In the morning they woke up together, early enough to be able to remain in bed for a little while longer, just watching each other sleepily. 

Nori made them a simple breakfast as Dwalin checked his axes, and when it was time for both of them to leave the house, Nori tugged at Dwalin’s belts and kissed him goodbye. 

It was the best morning Dwalin had had in years.


	8. Chapter 8

Nori woke up with the thought that his den must have caved in during the night somehow, and in the darkness of the blankets that surrounded him it took him a moment to realize where he was. The sky outside was just starting to turn grey and blue, and Dwalin’s snoring close to Nori’s ear offered the explanation for his initial worry.

Having your lover roll onto you in your sleep and trapping you was by far less bothersome than having to deal with a ruined den.

It took quite a bit of wiggling to get out from underneath Dwalin’s weight without waking him, and by then Nori had lost any trace of sleepiness still remaining in him. The morning wasn’t far enough away to try and fall asleep once more, so instead of bothering with that Nori decided to take the opportunity of having the bath all to himself. Not that Dwalin was ever bothered by Nori taking a bath while he was there as well. It just happened that both would get distracted when Nori also happened to be washing and brushing out his hair until it gleamed.

Taking a bath in his new home was quite a luxurious experience to Nori, given how he could stay for as long as he wished and how he had use of the soaps and oils that smelled of entrancing strange spices. He’d discovered them while wandering the markets with Dwalin, and the Dwarf had helped him pick something out.

He would never get tired of the little indulgences he could enjoy as a Dwarf.

By the time he was done with it all Dwalin was already up and about, cooking them a breakfast in the kitchen. Nori made sure to exaggerate his yawning and stretching as he walked up to him, as the sun hadn’t even crawled high enough to illuminate the mountainside fully.

“Up so early?” Dwalin asked as he caught Nori by the waist to prevent him from coming any closer to the food to try and steal something from the pot. Nori wrinkled his nose but stayed where he was until Dwalin had the time to press a kiss to his damp hair.

“Somebody tried to crush me in my sleep. And they better apologize.”

Dwalin laughed at him but let Nori go just to push a few small jars into his hands.

“Will jam do?” he asked, and Nori decided that it would indeed suffice.

The sweet treat smelled of fresh berries and the forest somehow. Most likely made from the first ones one could find in the woods this year. 

Dwalin set out bowls of porridge, and Nori added generous amounts of jam to both their portions. Another thing about life as a Dwarf he’d never get tired of; an abundance of sweet treats that one just couldn’t get as deep in the forest as the spirits lived.

There was still some time before either of them had to be anywhere, so Nori curled up in an armchair in their living room, with Dwalin by his side on some cushions. Nori looked over a few commissioned shawls, making sure that he had done everything as he was supposed to, the comforting sound of a whetstone and Dwalin taking care of his weapons making him feel much more relaxed.

Sunlight reached the windows of their home when Nori carefully placed his work in a small basket he easily could carry over his shoulder, and wrapped the shawl with the wave patterns around his shoulders. The little brooch Dwalin had gifted him as he asked Nori to move in with him sat right over his heart, displayed perfectly on the turquoise fabric.

Dwalin smiled when he saw, and kissed Nori soundly before they left to do the day’s work in opposite directions; Dwalin heading towards the gate of the settlement, and Nori deeper into the mountain.

The sun shining down directly onto the streets and the sound of birds singing at the top of their lungs nearly made Nori feel as if he wasn’t in the mountain anymore. Spring was in the air and he could practically taste the spice and scent of forest all around him as Dwarves were already cooking and preparing meals for the upcoming festivities.

It was the middle of spring, when even the nights didn’t manage to cool down a sturdy Dwarf anymore, but the heat of summer hadn’t flared up yet. A good time to start new endeavours and start the celebrations outside the settlement’s gates. It had always been a time Nori enjoyed, even when he didn’t actually leave the forest or take shape.

Nights would be filled with giant fires, carefully assembled log constructions and barrels of food and sweet ciders, Dwarves dancing until the morning came just because they could and because the winter was truly over. None would notice if the smoke danced strangely over the flames, of if a young beautiful Dwarf nobody had ever seen before was there, dancing and leaping with them…

At least that had been before. Now Nori actually was part of the community here. No longer a stranger, with people who dealt with him occasionally knowing his name, greeting him in the street and at least knowing him as Dwalin’s partner. They knew who he was.

Or rather, who he _chose_ to be for now.

There wouldn’t be a strange spirit dancing this year, and instead Nori would join as if he was just any other in this community, if he chose to. Though Dwalin enjoyed the many spring time dishes, and helped assemble bonfires, he hadn’t indicated whether he liked to participate yet.

Few Dwarves were up and about in the streets so far, and Nori took his time as well. He wasn’t going to the market to display his wares as much anymore, and most who’d want any of his textiles already knew him by now. It was easier to work on commissions when and where he wanted, and as he didn’t have a proper workshop and didn’t belong to a guild nobody would fault him for his schedules.

The air smelled of spices and sweet things, making Nori want to go track down whatever the source was. He stopped sometimes, when he came by a shop that was already opened, looking over the new items there. Spring also meant that the trade routes would be used more frequently, so he was looking forward to whatever treasure would make its way to this settlement as well.

He also saw the little shop he knew Dwalin got his pipe weed from sometimes, and had to suppress a little smile.

Nori hadn’t meant to take anything from there, given how he already had enough pipe weed to last him a while. It had been a coincidence that a small fox made of smoke was wandering the streets one afternoon, looking for something to do and exploring the tiny hidden corners of the settlement no Dwarf would ever spot. It had been an alley behind the homes and shops of several vendors when he saw a Dwarf climbing a wall.

They were quite young, with braids tucked into their shirt to keep them from getting in the way or perhaps have anyone recognize them by the hair. Nori didn’t know them, but he hid to watch nevertheless. It wasn’t often that one saw a Dwarf willingly climb up over some empty broken crates and towards a narrow window. In fact, Nori was sure that Dwarves didn’t accept windows as entries to anything if a door also existed.

Only a few moment after the Dwarf had disappeared, they emerged once more with a tiny bundle in their hand.

The fox would have laughed if smoke could make a sound, and before the Dwarf even walked far enough to turn the corner, Nori rose up in the air to see what that young one might have taken. He’d _always_ been attracted to situations like this, with mischief and shadiness being such a big part of what Nori was made of.

From the smell Nori could tell that the Dwarf had taken pipe weed, and a good blend at that, most likely not enough to be noticed.

The smoke whiffed in through the window, settling between the barrels and boxes of overwhelming scents. Nothing Nori _needed_. But nothing the shopkeep would miss _too_ sourly if it was taken either.

Nori took a little barrel of pipe weed and a few handful of tea leaves, taking care that none of it was similar to what he’d smelled in the Dwarf’s hands either. It wouldn’t do to have another thief get in trouble for a spirit’s mischief.

As none of it was something Nori wanted, he took off with it to let the wind carry him away from the Dwarvish settlement, travelling far enough to find a place where a few Men would give him good coin for it, and then finding a few magpies to bribe with polished coins so they would take the tea back to Dori as a gift. It took some time, but Dwalin wasn’t there to miss him.

To his amusement the theft hadn’t gone unnoticed, but the shopkeeper didn’t even realize some of the things that had gone missing. The things the Dwarf thief had taken among them. Even funnier was that the Dwarves around that shop decided that a guard watching the back alleys would be a good idea, in case more expensive things would be taken, and Dwalin was the first picked. It was good to know that a little prank had ended up giving Dwalin good work for good pay.

Nori walked on, deeper into the mountain and closer to the few mines of the area. It was the part of the settlement that was closest to being surrounded by rock, with several alleys reaching into the mountainside and buildings being carved directly into the stone. There were several good taverns there, ideal for those who worked in the mines or the forges of the district. It was also where Nori’s most recent customer was working on some days, making money in between her apprenticeship with one of the local blacksmiths.

Only a few Dwarves were in the tavern now, some having a warm meal, others drinking and talking. A few looked up curiously, and some even greeted Nori. Most of them looked to be Dwarves working nearby, fresh off a night’s shift or enjoying some quiet time before starting work around noon.

Business wasn’t high around this time, so only one Dwarf was behind the bar, busy with sketches of her own. She was dressed in practical clothes, and most of her hair was tied back in braids, and though her beard was still too short to braid it, she had taken care of it so that it shone in the lamplight around her. 

“A lovely morning for a new shawl, isn’t it,” Nori called, and Mirra raised her head to see who was there.

She gave him the widest smile as soon as she spotted the weaver, revealing her adorable little tooth gap and the dimples on her cheeks.

“The loveliest morning!” she called out and tucked her charcoal pencil behind her ear, where it nearly disappeared in her red-gold curls.

Coming closer Nori could see that she was working on a design for a helmet, her next project apparently. He placed his basket on the floor and carefully pulled out the thing she’d commissioned of him. It was a pretty thing, white with red and brown patterns in Mirra’s family sign, her maker’s mark and signs of the blacksmith guild as well as the shape of Ered Luin’s mountain range.

She gasped when she saw and cleaned her hands on her apron before she dared touching the cloth to feel the quality and inspect Nori’s work. It was sturdy enough to carry something in it, and might be warm enough to wear as a shawl when need be. It could also be used to display wares on it, and let any Dwarf know what they needed about Mirra’s profession and origin. She was close to being a journeyman soon after all, and such a thing would make satisfied customers remember her better.

“This is beautiful,” she said, as Nori watched her inspect every part of the pattern. He waited patiently as Mirra made sure his work was up to her standards, and smiled when she nodded.

“It will serve me well when I set out to travel and study,” Mirra said, and reached into her vest to look for her purse.

“When do you leave?”

“In just a few weeks. There’s a few projects I need to help my teacher with, and some work I want to finish before I go.”

Mirra took a satchel and laid out the content on the counter, to show Nori that the amount of coins was the right one. Then she handed the pay over and bowed.

“It’s lovely, thank you.”

She wrapped the cloth around her shoulders and rubbed her hand over it, still laughing.

“I should invite you to stay and have a drink. You don’t have anywhere you must leave to right now, do you?” Mirra said, and Nori shook his head with a laugh.

“Nothing urgent, but I should go.”

“Oh please do!” voices called from behind him, and the patrons who’d been watching the exchange of goods perked up.

“For just a drink, we’ll even buy it for you!”

Nori couldn’t hide the pleased little smirk as he noticed the admiring gazes thrown his direction. He caught the eye of quite a few Dwarves when he looked like one himself, and sometimes their flirting would end in little gifts for Nori as well. Having his hair braided in loose waves now was a bonus to his usual looks as well.

“If you insist.”

They immediately pulled out a chair for Nori to sit at one of the occupied tables, and someone called for Mirra to bring them a berry cider for Nori. Sitting down with them Nori recognized most of the Dwarves to be the sellswords who sometimes worked with Dwalin or had been on the last caravan. Most of them quite liked flirting with Nori, and he enjoyed the attention though he knew that nobody was trying seriously. They knew that he was with Dwalin, and nobody quite felt like slighting _him_ or trying to figure out if Nori still might be interested in something.

Mirra brought him a drink and the talking resumed. Nori didn’t know everyone here, but then there were quite a few Dwarves who travelled from place to place with their work too. Now that he was watching them closer, Nori noticed how most of the guards looked quite exhausted, and from more than just a night’s worth of work.

“Rough night?” Nori asked as he sipped his sweet cider.

“Annoying rather,” one of the guards said, rolling her eyes. “We’ve been guarding down at Tulek’s.”

A grumble went through the round and Nori hid any trace of his sneer by taking another sip from his drink. He didn’t like the merchant very much, and had eyed his wares before, though he tried not to steal much when Dwalin was around, lest he get him in trouble.

On the other hand he knew that Dwalin’s work was good, and that he deserved far better than what Nori knew of Tulek’s treatments. Better pay as well, even if Nori knew that Dwalin hadn’t used the coin he made on anything but his family anyway.

“He’s had some issue with something again, saying that we didn’t do enough…”

“I heard him say we should work for one hour more through every shift-“

“-what _did_ go wrong anyway?”

Nori listened to every complaint around him carefully, remembering them for later. Dwalin never said a word about it, just happy to work, and Nori didn’t want to see his mate being sold short in any way.

“You should stop working for him,” he said and those round him looked at each other uneasily.

“We do need the work,” the one who’d ordered a drink for Nori said, his brow furrowing. “There’s nothing most of us can do really, and Tulek did offer good work when I first met him at least.”

“Good for the time,” Nori corrected. “For when the war was just over.”

It had been difficult to piece that together, given how he hadn’t really experienced the impact the war in the Misty Mountains had had on the Dwarves of Ered Luin. He’d been comfortable as ever in his forest, and no real Dwarf would lack that knowledge so he couldn’t just go around asking.

“Sounds like that merchant’s been tricking you since you were desperate,” one of the miners Nori didn’t know say. He twirled his moustache with a finger and nodded sagely.

“Had one in a mine too. Thought that those who returned from war would take _any_ work no matter how bad the pay just cause it’s something. Our lot told him our opinion on that well when they tried to keep the pay done when things were good again.”

The guards looked down, some sheepish, some nervous looking.

“But a miner can find work with decent people,” one of them said. “What’s one supposed to do when you don’t know anything but fighting in battles and listening to orders?”

“Well, you do what you do now for better Dwarves,” Nori suggested. “Or demand Tulek treat you right.”

“If we cause trouble Tulek will replace us with someone who doesn’t.”

Another of the guards frowned, her lips a thin line.

“Not if all of us cause trouble,” she said. “He either pays us decently, or he doesn’t get anyone to look over his stuff.”

“Someone’s gonna need guards or have caravans go back and forth even if he’s not there.”

The Dwarves started ranting about it again, those who felt the most annoyed easily talking over those who worried about whether they could afford angering Tulek. Any hopes of having them flirt and pay attention to Nori were gone, but he didn’t mind too much. He’d get Dwalin to pay some attention to him later.

“So,” the miner who’d spoken up earlier said and shifted his seat closer to Nori.

“Yer a weaver, aren’t you? Any chance of you being a travelling one as well?”

“I used to, but I’ve settled down for now,” Nori told him and touched the brooch on his chest briefly.

The Dwarf nodded.

“Settling down for love, common though I doubt I’d ever do it.”

He stretched out his hand, calloused and dirty from working in the mines, and Nori took it with a grin.

“Name’s Bofur, son of Barufur.”

“Nori,” the fox said simply.

“I’m just staying here for a little while. Mirra and some others will form a company when we travel. Met her when I needed my mattock repaired and now I’m looking for more who could join.”

“I would go, if I weren’t so attached to this region,” Nori said, meaning it. Sometimes it was fun to travel in groups, even if there wasn’t much he could gain from it. It was safer to travel as smoke usually.

“Understandable, it’s nice around here,” Bofur agreed. “Are you interested in some rough semiprecious stones maybe? I haven’t sold all I found yet.”

“Wouldn’t know what to do with uncarved stones. I have cloth here, if you want to buy something fine.”

Bofur laughed and shook his head. 

“No use to me, I couldn’t tell silk from linen from looking at them anyway.”

Nori snorted at him and shifted a little closer. It was easy to tell that this miner was a chatty type, and as there really no obligations demanding Nori’s attention now he could stay and enjoy the drink and some company. It had been a while since he’d talked to someone who travelled more than just in caravans and back home. 

Those he knew weren’t exactly vying for his attention either; instead heatedly arguing over how best to make sure that they made as much coin as they deserved. 

With a slight smirk Nori turned his attention to Bofur, feeling like he deserved a little break for sparking trouble this early in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mirra is borrowed from Thorinsmut's stories, and she's Bombur's future wife :') couldn't help but add a little cameo


	9. Chapter 9

“I don’t dance.”

Nori laughed at Dwalin and turned in front of the mirror, wrapped in a light shawl he’d just completed, just to make sure that it would look as he’d envisioned as he worked on it. All mountains and forests and rivers in knotted winding lines.

He could still see the big Dwarf’s reflection over his shoulder when he glanced, as Dwalin still stood awkwardly where he’d stopped when Nori had asked if he would like to come to the bonfires with him.

“They don’t just _dance_ there. I thought you’d know, given how _you_ are the one who lived in this area longer than me.”

Dwalin shrugged and looked off to the side. He looked mildly embarrassed, as he had from the moment Nori had asked.

“There’s food and drink and ale’s ought to flow freely,” Nori went on as he folded the shawl carefully and put it on his basket. Next he went about putting away his little loom carefully before he looked up at Dwalin again. “They might need help with the logs if someone wants to make the bonfires bigger.”

Again it only earned him a shrug, but Nori didn’t mind too much. He always enjoyed the fires, the dance and the rush of it all. He would prefer for Dwalin to be there this time, but Nori had enjoyed these things before he had even met Dwalin for the first time. Of course it would be… nice to have Dwalin there.

Nori looked around the room, thinking of what else needed to be done. It was a little strange to him to live like this sometimes, actually living in a home with somebody who was only Dwarf, and having to take care of a place that needed more maintenance than a den. But right now it seemed that all was well with their home, and he might as well rest for the day. Recently the settlement had been different at night, with Dwarves up and about more and more, in anticipation of the spring time celebrations and enjoying the sun setting later as well. It would be fun to explore all that unseen, and even pick up a trinket here and there, where it wouldn’t be missed.

With an easy motion Nori took out the few pins and ties that held his hair up in a practical knot of braids, and he brushed it out with his fingers. He could practically feel Dwalin’s eyes on him and barely hid the little smirk. It was always gratifying to be admired like that, and Dwalin was so very good at that, never hiding his affection. Just as now, when he stepped closer to run his hand through Nori’s hair gently.

“I think I might just go take a nap,” Nori said, shivering as he felt the heat of Dwalin’s hand on his neck. He didn’t move Dwalin stepped around him so they stood face to face, and then Nori involuntarily leaned his head back slightly to bare his throat to him.

“Aye, do that. Or maybe…”

Nori stepped into Dwalin’s space before Dwalin was done speaking, his hands resting on Dwalin’s chest. He smiled when Dwalin wrapped his arms around his waist, and laughed when he was hoisted up.

“Maybe I’ll just go to bed for a while,” Nori mused and wrapped his legs around Dwalin so he wouldn’t get any ideas about putting Nori back on the ground.

He bared his throat even further when Dwalin leaned in to kiss along it gently, his beard tickling against Nori’s skin in the best of ways. There was little heat in Dwalin’s touches, just gentle affection and the need to be close.

Nori let his eyes fall shut as he smiled. Over and over it was the little things that reaffirmed how good his decision to come seek out this Dwarf had been.

Shifting just a little to wrap his arms around Dwalin’s neck, Nori relaxed and let himself be carried away without resisting.

*

Dwalin was still on the fence about how he wished to spend the night, but he followed Nori nevertheless when he decided to take a walk at noon. Any bonfires would only be lit up after the sun disappeared behind the mountain range and the first stars appeared on the red and durin blue sky, but the Dwarves of the area were already starting to put down work where it was possible.

The smell of sweet pastries and spiced meat frying over open fires filled the streets, and some young children were running around with baskets of food. All less than perfect but still tasty leftovers from what was being prepared for the evening, to earn some coin. There were some who had gathered berries in the forest as well, near the place where most of the celebrations were happening, and Nori bought a few wild strawberries to share with Dwalin.

It was the sort of food he’d snack on back home, and he was quite pleased to see that Dwalin appreciated the tart little berries as well, even letting Nori feed him a few from his fingers.

A few Dwarves were already in the streets, drinking and moving towards the gates, bright ribbons tied around their wrists and flowers from higher up the mountain slopes adorning their heads in crowns. It seemed like nothing could spoil the mood that day.

“You can just get a berry cider there and I won’t make you dance with me even once,” Nori told Dwalin as he popped the last strawberry into his mouth. “And food. You know how good the food’ll be.”

Dwalin grunted in response, but he did look in as good a mood as anyone around them. By now Nori could see past Dwalin’s default grumpy expression to be sure of that.

Several Dwarves coming their way threw appreciative looks at Nori, their eyes catching on the single loosely braided queue down his back; quite daring for a Dwarf with hair as long as his. It was nearly funny to notice how Dwalin carefully didn’t react, but looking decisively pleased each time Nori moved closer to him, indicating that they really were out together.

As they walked Nori didn’t see anyone he interacted with on a regular basis, but as they came by the square of the settlement’s public fountain and well Dwalin paused and raised his hand in greeting to a pair of Dwarves fixing ribbons in their hair with the help of the water’s reflection.

“Antîm! Didn’t know you were still here,” Dwalin greeted the older, who Nori recognized as one of the guards Dwalin sometimes worked with. She was a good sellsword, and an honest worker, from what Nori knew of her.

Antîm grinned at them as she turned.

“Dwalin! Could say the same of you!”

“You know I won’t join as many caravans for a while,” Dwalin said, and Nori noticed how Antîm’s eyes flicked over to rest on him as she smirked. No questions about _who_ Dwalin wanted to stay put for here.

“I thought you wanted to travel to the south with a caravan of ironwork.”

Antîm waved off, her smile turning sour.

“No my friend, there’s been some ah- disagreements over the pay, and I’ve not got the patience to deal with Tulek over something like this. Besides, I’d be a bad older sister if I missed out on the parties, wouldn’t I?”

She gestured at the girl behind her, who’s only looked up briefly as Dwalin and Nori approached, and now turned back to the water. Her finger dipped into a small pouch of light green paint, and she was carefully drawing a pattern around her eyes that resembled a moth and stood out bright against her skin. Popular among the younger Dwarves during these celebrations, and she did look a decade shy of maturity.

“This is Itîm, my little sister. Itîm, these are Dwalin and Nori.”

Itîm straightened up and made a small bow, smiling up at the two, before returning to her work.

“How did that go, with Tulek? He might remember this, and don’t you need the coin?” Dwalin asked but Antîm shrugged.

“I don’t care about this anymore. He’s never paid good, and now people are starting to notice and demand a fair price. I can get work elsewhere. Why, I could even go to the bigger cities and train to be a proper guard if I miss this work too much.”

Dwalin didn’t answer to that, and Nori hid a smile. It was always nice to know that everyone was getting what they were deserving.

“Will you come out for the bonfires?” Antîm asked, and now it was Dwalin’s time to shrug.

“I will certainly take a look,” Nori promised in his stead, and Antîm smiled and nudged her sister to move on.

“We’ll see you then.”

The two sisters moved on with a wave, and Dwalin watched them leave thoughtfully.

“Is everything alright?” Nori asked as soon as Antîm and Itîm where out of earshot.

“Just worried,” Dwalin replied. “I don’t know if I’d turn down any kind of work…”

“You’re doing good for yourself, and you still can put aside enough coin for your family, if that’s what you’re worried about. I earn enough for both of us with how much we need for ourselves.”

Dwalin smiled at the reassurance and the comforting touch on his elbow. His hand rose to cover Nori’s.

“Lets go to the bonfires later,” he said as he squeezed Nori’s fingers gently. It earned him a smile from the fox.

“Lets find us something to eat before that then.”

Neither of them was in the mood to return home and scrape together a meal. Besides, the sun was already on its way towards the mountain peaks, so they might as well go to the gates and beyond as soon as they were done eating.

They found themselves a street kitchen, where two Dwarves were frying up meat and vegetables to chop up and serve in freshly made flatbread. It was easy to eat as they walked, so Nori and Dwalin made their way to the gates without haste as they chewed. 

Nori wasn’t paying attention to anything but the last bites of his food and how to steal Dwalin’s last bit when someone called out Dwalin’s name. Dwalin stood up straighter immediately, towering over everyone else even more, but not looking like he was trying to threaten anyone. It took Nori a moment to place where the voice had come from, before he saw a short soft looking Dwarf hurry towards them. From his fine clothes one could easily tell that he was a merchant, and though his beard and hair weren’t as neatly braided as usual, Tulek still wore small silver clasps as always. Never one to hide the tasteful display of his status and wealth.

As Tulek walked towards Dwalin quickly, Nori fell back slightly, eyes focused on the scene. He might dislike that Dwarf quite a bit and wished for him to stay away from Dwalin, but something told him that this might be interesting.

The merchant came to halt before Dwalin, with the posture of one who saw himself as bigger than the warrior before him. Tulek took one huffed breath before he finally spoke.

“I have been looking all over, and you’re just the one I need. I’m in need for a guard, overnight at least, but in the next few days as well. You always do good work when I hire you, so...”

Tulek paused as he looked up at Dwalin expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Dwalin glanced to the side for a moment, before his eyes turned back on Tulek.

“What of the others?”

“Nothing’s with the others, I just _need_ a guard because some ungrateful sellswords wouldn’t do their job of guarding a caravan that was set to go a few days ago. And now I’m sitting on several crates… Buying off Men isn’t cheap I tell you. So, come to the warehouse tonight, will you?”

Dwalin frowned a little, as Tulek still watched him with an air of benevolent patience. Nori finished his food and licked his fingers slowly, eyes on Dwalin as well. Usually he’d have accepted by now, without even needing much of an explanation.

“You have the usual guards,” Dwalin said, clearly unwilling to do the work.

Tulek tugged at his beard, messing it up even more, and the put on patience crumbling away.

“They will not come!” He snapped. “Those chalkbrains will not take my coin to bring a caravan to Ered Luin, and they will not guard it now that I’m forced to keep it in my warehouse for longer! I need someone to guard tonight. Who knows what sort of people are around here now, with nobody paying attention to who comes and who goes?”

Tulek’s words came out quicker and quicker, and still Dwalin was staring at him with a frown.

“You did not pay them enough,” he merely said and Tulek snorted loudly.

Other Dwarves were slowing their pace and watched now, and Nori felt a strange glee in him.

“I pay them more than they deserve. Where else would they have such steady work if not with me? But if it’s the pay you are concerned over, don’t worry, I’ll pay you double for tonight.”

Nori’s eyes fixed on Dwalin, waiting for his reaction. From what he knew of Tulek’s ways, double was only barely what guarding a warehouse over night was worth, especially if few guards were around. Not to mention that he’d probably come up with some way of cheating Dwalin out of what was promised anyway.

There was another endlessly long moment of silence in which it seemed that everyone watching was waiting with baited breath.

“I don’t have the time tonight,” Dwalin said finally, his voice a low rumble that carried the promise of a threat in it. “Ask me tomorrow.”

Without waiting for Tulek to recover from his initial reaction of staring up at him with his mouth agape Dwalin put his hand on Nori’s back and started walking away. Nori contained his smirk for the next few streets, hearing Tulek curse behind them.

“That was a good answer to that piece of warg shit,” he said cheerfully, and Dwalin huffed angrily.

“There’s a reason others don’t want to work for him anymore. And you’re right, I don’t _need_ his coin as badly anymore.”

Dwalin didn’t say anything for the rest of the walk, but his touch grew gentler as his hand moved down to rest on the small of Nori’s back. None of his disgruntlement was left in Dwalin’s demeanour by the time they moved through the gates and made their way down to the field where fires were already lit.

The sun was still hanging over the mountains, albeit quite low, and already the celebrations were in full swing.

Dwarves were singing loudly and barrels of mead and cider were tapped to have the drinks flow freely. Some smaller fires had Dwarves roasting various meats on spits, and someone had stuck potatoes on sticks to put them around fires as well. Baskets of sweet goods stood where they’d not be in the way and Dwarves were throwing food around to each other.

The mood was contagious, and Nori could not wait for the night to arrive for the parties to begin in full. Someone pressed mugs of cider into their hands as soon as they came close enough to a barrel, and Nori pulled Dwalin to one of the fires to sit.

Dwalin had his arm thrown around Nori’s shoulders, pulling him close, and they cheered to anyone who raised their drink in their direction, sipping the cider and eating whatever was thrown their way by chance. Stars began to shine and Dwalin fetched them another round of drinks. More and more Dwarves were arriving, drinking and eating and dancing around the bonfires that were taller than Nori, playing music and leaping over the fires where they could. 

Much as he enjoyed the heat of Dwalin’s body by his side burning more than the fires so close by, Nori started to feel a little restless at the sight before him. He’d _always_ loved the dances around spring time, and _always_ joined in when he saw any of those happening near his territory.

It didn’t take long for Dwalin to notice, and he removed his arm from Nori.

“Go on then,” he laughed, raising his drink at Nori. “I can have fun watching.”

Nori leaned in to give him a quick kiss, tasting the sweetness of the cider on his lips, before he leapt to his feet and was among the dancers in a few heartbeats.

Musicians were stationed all over, and somehow they all fell in rhythm with one another, one that was easily picked up in a dance. Nori laughed as room was made for him among those who danced around the fires.

He found himself dancing with Dwarves he didn’t even know, Dwarves with eyes shining red in the firelight, dangerously close to the flames, leaping over them. The stars spun above as well, and Nori felt so completely alive, felt every inch of his body vibrate with excitement. He jumped over fires and laughed until his voice was hoarse, and moved so that his braid danced behind him like a flag, always nearly brushing Dwarves who looked entranced by the sight.

And Dwalin was always within view, his eyes fixed on Nori, staring at him as if he forgot what else one might be doing.

On a whim Nori moved back towards him as he danced, though he’d promised to leave Dwalin be. When he reached out towards him Dwalin didn’t hesitate to get up and join Nori though. Their hands clasped they danced, until Nori let go. They circled each other in the steps of some dance neither of them knew fully. It didn’t matter, nothing mattered besides the fires and the stars and each other.

Nori’s light tunic clung to his back with his sweat and his lungs burned by the time Dwalin stumbled and grabbed Nori’s arms. They were close enough to where the forest started that Dwalin only took a few steps to back Nori against a tree and push him against its trunk.

They were so close together that Nori’s chest brushed against Dwalin’s as he breathed hard to get air into his aching lungs. He felt dizzy from drinking and the ever-present heat, and everything was spinning but Dwalin, nothing felt _real_ but Dwalin looming over him.

Nori felt the strange need to be smoke and envelop the Dwarf before him, or better yet, take the shape of the fox and have Dwalin’s arms around him, feel so completely small and protected and _there_.

The moment passed within a heartbeat as Dwalin leaned in to kiss him, and it took Nori’s breath away and left no room for any thoughts other than utter ecstasy.

Nothing mattered but Dwalin. Nothing.

It was past midnight and the noise of the celebration hadn’t died down at all when Dwalin found them a spot a little away from the fires, nearly outside of their glow, where they settled down to rest for a little, before joining the celebration again. Nori rested his head on Dwalin’s chest, so that he could hear his heartbeat, and he was as content as he’d ever be.

*

It was _well_ past midnight when Dwalin awoke and looked up at the stars and the moon blearily. He could hear the sound of fires and voices, and there was something warm against his side. They were still outside where they’d decided to rest, and Dwarves were still dancing around bonfires, though most had settled down to eat or sleep for a little while. Nori was dozing next to him, unbothered by the noise.

There was something off though. Dwalin sat up and looked over to where some Dwarves were gesturing towards the gates, and from how they were dressed it did not look as if they had been dancing all night. Those they spoke to seemed concerned, and more and more Dwarves were running towards the settlement as well.

Nori woke up when Dwalin shook him gently, and blinked up and mumbled, but he got up when Dwalin asked him to.

They walked towards where the dances were dying down, and Dwalin could hear the shout of ‘ _fire_ ’ over and over.

“What happened,” he asked someone who was frowning in concern.

“A warehouse is burning,” they said and that was enough to shake any remaining sleepiness off.

Nori didn’t ask questions when Dwalin hurried towards the gates, following instead.

Most of the warehouses were out of use, and all of them were located far enough from any living areas thankfully, so any Dwarf they encountered on their way confirmed that nothing but the building would suffer. The worry wouldn’t leave Dwalin though, and as they finally reached the area where spectators stood at a good distance away he saw that the fire had completely engulfed only one of the warehouses.

From what little Dwalin knew of fires, he was certain that the flames that licked up along the walls would not jump over to other buildings. There were those who were still trying to throw buckets of water into the flames, and a pump had been brought already, but it was clear that this building was lost. Nothing to do but let it burn out.

A good part of the structure was wood, that much Dwalin knew, as it had been restored when refugees of Erebor had arrived and not every building made of stone had been intact. He wouldn’t be surprised if the stone it had would crumble once it burned out.

“What happened?” Dwalin asked one of the Dwarves that stood at a respectful distance from the flames. He could feel Nori pressing himself against his side.

“Who knows yet,” the Dwarf answered. “Thankfully there’s been no guards in there. Or maybe that’s why a broken lamp wasn’t spotted, or whatever was the cause, who knows.”

Dwalin wrapped his hand around Nori’s reassuringly, and watched the flames burn higher. Now that he wasn’t preoccupied with trying to see if they could pose any danger he recognized the warehouse.

“That’s Tulek’s,” he said, surprised. Somehow he expected to feel guilty for not being there after all, but the feeling never came.

Nori’s fingers squeezed around his for a moment.

Nobody spoke a word, and the silence was filled up by the fire’s roar as it consumed the building whole.


	10. Chapter 10

Dwalin stared at the neatly organized shelf with rows upon rows of tiny glass jars, feathers of various birds arranged on small velvety cushions, their tips worked into pretty quills. He had little use for most of those finer materials, but he knew quality when he saw it. Currently he was more focused on what was not there, rather than on the fine craftsmanship of the quills and the ink filled jars.

With how neatly everything was organized it was easy to spot the gaps, holes in the neat rows of feathers and ink. It was the early morning, and the shop had not been opened to customers that day, or else Dwalin might have written this off as being caused by the missing items being sold.

Mrika had assured Dwalin that she knew that shop well, and the owner always took care to fill their stock up or at least rearrange everything to look appealing every day they sold enough to cause such gaps. She was a guard, but Dwalin knew that she had considered being a scribe in her youth. 

Kratur wrung their hands nervously as they peered at the three guards in their shop nervously, standing in the doorway that led up to the little house that joined the saleroom. They had called for assistance first thing in the morning, when Dwalin had just arrived to help with the drills planned for the say, more worried about how somebody had broken into their shop than about the loss.

“It’s not much,” they had explained, adjusting their thick glasses with shaky fingers. “But please, believe me that I’m worried about this!”

Dwalin had only briefly considered dismissing them after taking a look around, but Mrika was more forthcoming as she knew the Dwarf better than he did. Now, as they both waited for Antîm’s verdict on her examination of the room, he could see what had gotten the shopkeep so nervous. Kratur lived on their own now, rooms over their shop, and a break-in into that meant that the living area could be accessed just as easily.

Antîm’s brow was furrowed as she moved from one window to the other, already having investigated the doors. There were only two entrances into the shop, the door leading out into the street, and the door that lead up to Kratur’s rooms. She used a gem cutter’s lenses to examine each of the locks for signs of scratches and lock picks, and the wooden window frames for signs of force being used against them.

“I don’t understand,” she said after a while, straightening and turning back to her two colleagues. “There’s no signs of a forced entry, or footprints, or _anything_. If the wares weren’t missing I’d doubt that there has been any kind of crime committed at all. We only have Kratur’s word.”

The shopkeep paled when the guards glanced over at them, and quickly shook their head.

“There’s nothing I would gain from lying! I merely wish to know whether this- this _prank_ might mean I’m in danger?”

“Peace, nobody thinks you faked anything,” Dwalin reassured them before the already overly nervous Dwarf could worry themselves any further.

He turned to the others then, watching as Antîm glanced around, brow furrowed in frustration, and as Mrika bit her lip nervously.

“The value of these items is not something that you’d miss?”

Kratur shook their head.

“No, I once lost more in a day when I accidentally spilled ink after not closing a bottle properly.”

Dwalin grunted in acknowledgement and turned his back to them, turning his attention to the other two guards fully.

“Are you sure there’s no sign of anything off?”

Antîm sighed, and shook her head. She had some experience with things like this, and after moving to Ered Luin’s core city over the summer she had returned with even more knowledge to share with the settlement’s guards.

“I’m certain that no Dwarf could have done this, unless they’re a clever little bastard with some trick up their sleeve. There’s never any signs.”

Dwalin crossed his arms, frowning and trying to think of any way he might use to break into a place like this. It seemed to be a strange place to waste efforts of a masterfully executed crime on, as the ink and quills that had gone missing could barely be worth it. Why not steal precious jewels and expensive silk ribbons instead? What was even more aggravating was that this _kept happening_ and the newly formed guard’s guild was being ridiculed by some unknown culprit.

Gritting his teeth Dwalin looked around once more, looking everywhere, the floor, the ceiling, eying the shelves filled with writing and drawing supplies as if they held some kind of clue they had somehow overlooked till now.

“I don’t understand-“ he muttered. He wasn’t even truly part of the guard, not really, and yet he felt like it was a slight against him as well as all of his friends and former sell-sword companions who now worked anyway.

His eye fell on Mrika, who was still worrying her lip with her teeth, looking a little fearful nearly.

“Do you have any idea about any of this?” he asked, hopeful that her worry might mean that she knew something, even if it was bad news.

“It just seems as if-“ she started, and paused, glancing at her colleagues and shifting her weight uneasily. “It’s no Dwarf?”

“What would you suggest? There’s a stranger nobody saw in town?” Antîm asked as Dwalin raised his brows.

“No no,” she waved off, still nervous. “I mean more like a spirit. What if there’s a spirit in town.”

Dwalin and Antîm shared a glance, confused.

“But what would a spirit be doing here for so long?” Antîm asked her, not looking any bit more convinced than Dwalin felt.

Mrika shrugged.

“Who knows what a spirit might want? Maybe there’s something precious here, or maybe somebody upset it enough to play pranks? I’m just glad it’s _just_ pranks if that’s true.”

Dwalin still felt sceptical about that idea, but Mrika was obviously considering it to be likely enough to worry. That Dwalin could understand. Spirits rarely occupied mountains, and most had ties to the forest. The forest and the not quite mortal creatures living in the darkest depths had always been a realm outside a Dwarf’s understanding, and they knew that those beings within would watch their own kind with hawk’s eyes. The idea of one of these creatures roaming around a Dwarf settlement and messing around for whatever reason was slightly disconcerting, even to Dwalin.

“If that’s true, then mischief is its goal,” Dwalin said, not quite managing to reassure Mrika.

He looked around the room once more, trying in vain to get some sort of inspiration on how to solve the issue at hand.

“Do you need me for anything else?” he asked Antîm, who shook her head.

“No, we’ll just stay to finish everything off with the questioning. You can leave, if you want.”

Dwalin bowed to the shopkeep briefly, and took his leave. There was nothing else left for him to do.

Outside the crisp autumn air was a welcome sensation against his skin. Dwalin breathed in and started to make his way to the training grounds on the other side of the town. It was still early enough for some younger Dwarves to be there, training to be guards of one kind or another or merely wishing to hone their skills with weapons.

Though Dwalin preferred being hired for specific jobs or help with caravans and some of the new small warehouses, he did enjoy training them.

Months had passed since a broken lamp had set Tulek’s warehouse on fire and sent the Dwarf packing and leaving the town quietly with all he’d stored in his own home, without so much as a goodbye or the rest of the wages he’d owed here and there. Nobody cried a tear for the loss of his company, and most of the Dwarves he’d hired as sellswords decided to band together after that, to form a guild and something like a small guard for the settlement, to keep order and be readily available if their assistance was needed.

Smaller warehouses had sprang from the ground quickly, with another group of Dwarves banding together to share the risk and profit of caravans, and making sure that no guards would skip work due to being underpaid. It was a rather gratifying arrangement for both sides of the deal, and nobody felt like they were being sold short.

Dwalin had been asked to join the guard, but he preferred to be a mentor rather than a member. Somebody had to teach the less experienced Dwarves how to use weapons and hone their instincts in a fight, and he felt like it was a good way to pass his time and feel like he was doing some good. He wasn’t the only one training less experienced fighters, and fight and weapons weren’t the only themes discussed.

It was good work, and it meant that Dwalin could justify staying in the settlement for longer stretches of time. It meant he could be with Nori more, and there was nothing that delighted him more.

The thought of his beautiful love made a wistful sigh escape Dwalin’s lips. Nori had left just a few days ago, with a kiss and the promise to hurry back as soon as he was done visiting his family. Already Dwalin missed him dearly, and every morning he felt a pang of disappointment when he woke up and Nori wasn’t snuggled in his arms.

It had even become noticeable to those he interacted with otherwise, and Dwalin was teased every morning now. At least they didn’t know just how much he missed his little Dwarf’s presence.

But Nori would return soon, and Dwalin wasn’t ashamed to admit that just the thought alone made his step feel lighter and had his heart soaring. 

*

Dori’s den might have been mistaken for the tiny treasury of some merchant with the most refined tastes. Tapestries and carpets and cushions covered the walls so much so that not a single bit of earth could be seen in between them, beautiful vases were filled with pretty hairpins, lamps, lit and unlit, stood on any flat surface and incense burned in every corner, making smoke gather at the ceiling. Occasional Dori would flick his wrist and the smoke would politely seek the nearest exit and leave, so it would not get into the rest of the den. 

It wasn’t quite to Nori’s taste, as far as the specific treasures went, but he could appreciate the soft cushions and the decadent decorations nevertheless. He knew his brothers tastes enough that he picked the best presents as well, with Dori disapproving quietly but accepting the pretty pottery he’d brought, as well as the ink and quills for Ori, though the youngest member of their family wasn’t around currently. It pleased Nori to know that his gifts would be welcomed regardless of how mad Dori was at him at any given moment.

“I really don’t see why you would want to return to that place,” Dori said, flicking his tail in a displeased way. “It’s been months and months now, shouldn’t your curiosity be satisfied by now?”

Nori popped a few berries into his mouth, chewing with relish, glad to be able to pick some whenever he wanted while he was back in the forest. He licked his snout and blinked up at his brother.

“It’s more than curiosity now. I’m quite fond of that Dwarf, I want to stay for as long as he’d have me.”

Dori made a disapproving sound.

“No really, you have this,” Nori waved his paw at the pretty treasures around him. “But I collect other things.”

The silver white fox squinted down at him, before jumping down from his seat elegantly, his incredibly thick fur bouncing with the movement.

“You will get yourself in the kind of trouble your powers will be useless against,” Dori chided and walked past where his brother lounged. 

Nori didn’t bother asking what he meant, knowing full well that Dori liked giving advice that could be interpreted in many ways, just to be able to claim that he had been right all along regardless of the outcome.

“I’m doing good though, for more than just my Dwarf.”

Dori threw him a dirty look.

“Sneaking off to set buildings on fire is _not_ doing good! You should know this?”

Nori rolled over on his back and bid some of the smoke to come down and throw berries right into his mouth lazily.

“It made so many people happy though. You should see the difference!”

He let out a piercing laugh, masking his righteous satisfaction with pretending it to be a joke. He had been right to do it, he knew. Nobody got hurt, no wares that were urgently needed had been destroyed, and now everyone was happier. There were proper guards now, and better trade for everyone. Besides, Dwalin carried himself with more ease now, a weight off his shoulders and the worry about earning enough for himself and his family back home easing off.

How could Dori blame Nori for something that had made his Dwarf’s life easier and happier? He hadn’t even had to do that much, he’d even picked a lamp that was faulty to let the fire dance higher than it should for just a moment. Had that nasty merchant paid enough for his guards somebody would have been there to spot it easily, and nothing would have happened.

Dori looked over at him, and there was worry in his eyes now, of the same kind he always had plenty of for his brothers.

“You will get yourself in trouble over nothing,” he warned, and Nori waved him off again.

Dwalin was not nothing, and any trouble was worth to see him smile brighter. What would a fox spirit care for consequences for if the gain was so much more precious?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nori is Chaotic Neutral and doesn't quite care~  
> I hope the bigger time jumps will be alright


	11. Chapter 11

Thick layers of snow covered every slope of rock and every surface that could provide an area to rest on. More gentle snowflakes drifted down steadily, dashing any attempts to clear the streets immediately. Everything had come to a standstill, with Dwarves only left their homes when they had to, as one had to fight their way through the snow no matter where they walked. It was precisely the reason why one would usually pick a place _inside_ a mountain to start a settlement, but there was nothing anyone could do about the open sky above them.

Truth be told, Dwalin didn’t really mind being snowed in, as nobody else was doing anything either. Some fought their way to a tavern, but Dwalin didn’t really see a point in trying to do that. The thick layers of snow swallowed up any sound outside, save for the occasional dull sound of masses of snow falling off a roof and on the ground, and there was a tranquil mood about the mountains.

With enough food to last them several weeks if need be inside the house, there was little point to brave the midwinter cold. There was enough to do anyway.

Besides, while Dwalin felt content and calm, Nori seemed to have his own ideas of how to spend the time confined in their home. Not that Dwalin minded at the slightest bit. What could be better than staying in bed and doing nothing but making love, the time filled with nothing but the sweetest kisses and leisurely touching with warm drinks and good food in-between?

Nori would net let go of Dwalin at all, needy and affectionate and demanding kisses or another go or just to be held. It was the laziest day Dwalin had spent in years and years, and yet he was exhausted as he lay in bed with Nori’s hands roaming over his chest. He’d lifted Nori up after they’d finished making love, gently but firmly, when it became a little uncomfortable to still be inside him. Nori had just scooted right back to him, canting his hips.

Dwalin let out a breathy chuckle at Nori’s disappointed whine when he didn’t get an immediate response.

“How can you _still_ be horny?” he asked, slinging his arm around Nori, both to keep him close and feel skin against skin, and to prevent him from trying to fondle at him too much.

“Because your cock is very nice and I like the Dwarf attached to it,” Nori pouted, rubbing his cheek against Dwalin’s shoulder as nothing else was in reach to rub against.

Dwalin snorted, and quietly wished he had as much stamina as Nori. As happy as he was with himself and his performance in bed, he did sometimes feel a little envious of those who could go longer and more than once this soon.

He glanced at Nori’s needy face, and licked his lips unconsciously. Nori’s eyes followed the motion, and it gave Dwalin an idea.

“Would you like this Dwarf’s tongue then?” he asked, and as Nori stared at him with wide eyes he raised his hand and wiggled his fingers a little. “Or fingers?” 

Nori’s lips parted and he gazed at Dwalin for a few seconds longer before quickly wriggling out of his hold and sitting up to scoot closer to Dwalin’s face on his knees. 

“ _This please_!”

Dwalin laughed at his expression as he grabbed a nice handful of Nori’s arse to pull him closer. He kissed Nori’s thigh softly, before setting to work on him with much less gentleness than before, sucking and licking as firmly as he could. The sharp high pitched sounds tearing from deep in Nori’s throat were quite worth the effort. 

 

*

Storms raged through the mountains occasionally, the vicious wind from the sea easily pushing over the relatively low peaks and further inland, where Nori had witnessed them over and over. He’d seen storms at the shore, he’d seen them while trying to find his way through precarious mountain passes and more often than not he heard them raging as he was hidden away in his den, warm and dry and out of the way of anything the wind might bring.

He did not fear the winds or the raging of light and fire through the heavy clouds, though he was well aware of the danger they might bring, and what he had to look out for. Though the creatures of the forest cowered and looked for shelter before such heavy storms, Nori knew that they could do nothing to him, unless he was being particularly daft. Storms meant difficult travelling, cold, and fur so wet it felt as if he would never dry again.

Now, with the sea miles and miles to the west raging with icy winter storms, and the temperature outside making one feel as if fingers might just shatter off like icicles, Nori struggled to remember ever feeling so content in a storm like that. He was warm and protected, and though he didn’t fear the storms, just being snuggled against Dwalin’s side, with a heavy arm over his back, felt like the safest place in all of the world.

Nori let out a purring sound as he heard the whistle and rattle of the wind trying to grab hold of anything that could be pushed and thrown around. The piles of blankets and the soft pillows pressed against him were hot from having been slept under for so long before the noise of the storm had woken him, and Dwalin’s steady presence was there, as expected.

Being able to press against his Dwarf just that little bit closer and feel warm and soft and comfortable was so much better than sleep now, and Nori basked in the moment. It was tempting to turn into his smaller fox shape in that moment, to cuddle even closer against him and have Dwalin hold him so much more securely. He wouldn’t risk it though, as Dwalin might wake up from the unfamiliar sensation and Nori might fall asleep if he got too comfortable.

He listened to the thunder and raging wind outside, sounds that felt as if mountains were breaking apart just a little bit away from where he was, and he couldn’t help but smile. It would be incredibly uncomfortable to be outside now, and here he was, perfectly safe and as snug and cosy as he’d ever be.

Not even bothering to stifle his yawn Nori rubbed his face against Dwalin’s chest, breathing in his familiar scent.

Thunder clapped closer than before, a sound as if the Maker himself was breaking the earth apart with his hammer to reform the mountains anew. Nori startled a little at the sound, and scooted closer to Dwalin still.

It took him a few moments to notice how stiff Dwalin felt against his body, until Nori felt him twitch slightly. For a few moments he thought nothing of it, content as he was, until Dwalin shifted again, and let out a noise that sounded like a pained groan. As Nori looked up at him from under his blankets he could see how Dwalin’s face was twisted and full of anguish, his eyes moving rapidly behind his lids.

His Dwarf was barely moving, so Nori sat up, concerned and unsure of how to proceed. Under his searching palms he soon found Dwalin’s heartbeat, racing and way too quick for someone asleep. It was a nightmare, for sure, but Nori sat still, touching Dwalin and unsure of how to proceed. Was he supposed to wake his Dwarf now? Or simply let him sleep on and hope that he wouldn’t even remember the bad dream if he had a nice one to follow.

Another earthbreaking sound of thunder tore an agitated whimper from Dwalin’s lips and Nori shook out of his stupor.

“Dwalin,” he whispered, placing his hands on Dwalin’s cheek gently, shaking him a little. He didn’t know how wise waking him was, but he didn’t want to just sit by comfortably while Dwalin clearly was suffering.

Only a brief shake was enough and Dwalin twitched all over, startling awake immediately. He didn’t move, but his breath quickened and his eyes darted around the darkness unseeing, panicked like a small animal backed into a corner.

“What-“ he gasped out, shaking, and Nori was there immediately, stroking his face and trying to pull the Dwarf’s focus towards himself and away from whatever remains of his dream still pained him. 

“It’s alright, you’re here with me, you’re in bed,” Nori whispered, figuring that just reminding Dwalin of the reality might be enough to fully help him forget his dream. His face was clammy with cold sweat under Nori’s hands.

As soon as Nori spoke Dwalin’s eyes darted to him and he breathed in and out harshly, focusing on Nori. The moment Nori was sure that Dwalin was truly seeing him and realized that he was no longer trapped in his dream the Dwarf’s eyes filled with tears. Nori tensed in his surprise as a choked sob broke from Dwalin’s lips, and suddenly tears were streaming over his cheeks. Somehow he had not thought his Dwarf ever cried.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered, wrapping his arms around Dwalin’s body instinctively and pulling him, at a loss with the situation.

Dwalin was crying in earnest now, not making a sound at all, though his entire body wracked with sobs, and his tears dropping on the sheets. He leaned into Nori’s arms, though he turned away from him.

The storm didn’t get any quieter, and with the next crack of thunder Dwalin let out a strange noise.

“It’s that-“ he whispered, voice rough and Nori barely could pick out the words. “It’s the noise.”

Nori rubbed his arms soothingly, waiting for him to speak. Surely just being able to talk about this would lead to a solution, and if not, listening gave Nori time to try and figure out what to do about such a situation. Storms might just put Dwalin in an uneasy state instinctively, so it was no wonder that his dreams were bad then.

“Tell me?” he asked, holding Dwalin closer. He didn’t move away when Dwalin’s arms wrapped around him and held Nori hard, with Dwalin’s face pressed against his stomach.

Dwalin said nothing for a few moments, his tears soaking through Nori’s nightshirt.

“I dreamt of Azanulbizar,” he said quietly, his arms tightening around Nori for a moment.

Though Nori knew very little of the actual battle and the war leading up to it, he knew what it meant to Dwalin at least. He rubbed Dwalin’s back firmly, wishing he was bigger and stronger and could cradle Dwalin easily, to make him feel safe now.

“That sound… It made me think of the battle… and the clash and then I saw everything happening again only I couldn’t do anything. Everyone was dead and I couldn’t lift my axe at all.”

Dwalin struggled with every word, his voice growing shaky, and Nori listened quietly until Dwalin stopped and just clung to him. He listened as Dwalin described his dream, weeping and hiding his tears against Nori’s body, and Nori let him, just holding him. Only occasionally he whispered reassurances that it was all in the past, and that some of the things hadn’t happened, that Dwalin hadn’t died and that not everyone had been lost.

It felt wrong somehow, like it wasn’t his place to hear of the tragedy, though it was such a big part of Dwalin’s life. Nori wasn’t a Dwarf, and he probably was the only one in the entire settlement who had not lost anyone he knew to the Orcs of the Misty Mountains. But he listened, as he couldn’t simply turn Dwalin away now.

“Do you dream such things often?” Nori asked quietly, voice barely audible over the wind outside.

Dwalin shook his head.

“I learnt to ignore it.”

After that he just clung to Nori like a comfort toy, and Nori continued rubbing his back. There was nothing he could do to take away that pain from Dwalin, and it made Nori’s heart ache. He wanted nothing more than to give Dwalin whatever it was he needed to be happy, and yet he couldn’t even come up with a clever way to even just take away the things that made him unhappy.

He bit his lip as he thought, searching his mind for all that lay within his power. This wasn’t like fixing an ongoing issue like Dwalin being treated unjustly by one who owed him, he could not go back in time to remove the battle from Dwalin’s life. Perhaps there was some magic to cloud his memories, but that would just cloud who Dwalin was as well, and Nori would not meddle with his Dwarf in such a way, even if he could.

There were magics and tricks to fix mood, little things that made one happy, but those could cloud the mind too much. What was the point to mask the issue without removing it? It was an easy fix, of course, but Nori didn’t want to just mask a crack in Dwalin’s happiness. No, he had to do something that would permanently make Dwalin happy and soothe the pain away over time, like new trees growing over a burned down area, reclaiming what had been destroyed.

Nori frowned and tried to think of what would make a Dwarf happy like that, aware that what he would like in his life was different.

There was wealth and security of course, but he had already seen to that in a way, when he had tried to make sure Dwalin would be paid more. If Dwalin wanted wealth, he would return to the main city, and he didn’t not seem like the kind to delight in amassing wealth without doing much with it. Perhaps it would make him happy, but he was content now, so Nori doubted it would make a difference then.

Cubs then? Nori really didn’t know if he even could give Dwalin those, but at least the body he chose to appear in was able to in theory. Cubs made everyone happy, if they wanted them, and Dwarves always seemed to be bursting with pride and happiness about theirs. Nori had never really thought about it, though he did take the usual precautions a Dwarf with his type of body might take either way, but if it would make Dwalin happy it wouldn’t be too much trouble to try...

But how would he broach the subject? It wasn’t something Nori knew how to do, and it would take a while either way, if Dwalin wanted.

“Dwalin?” he asked gently, shaking his shoulder a little. “Is there anything you would want in your life? Anything that would make you happy, _anything_ at all? I want you to feel happy.”

He would give anything to this Dwarf if he could, he realized that now.

Dwalin didn’t answer for a few moments, but when he looked up at Nori his eyes were red with tears and his brow was furrowed.

“I don’t need anything,” he said, voice cracking and Nori shook his head.

“I mean it, anything that would-“

“No, that’s not what I meant. Just don’t need anything else. Just you. It’s enough, just stay with me please, I don’t want anything else.”

Dwalin sounded desperate at the last request, staring up at Nori, vulnerable and imploring him. It took Nori aback for a moment.

Just being there with Dwalin was the least he could do, surely there was something he could actually _do_ for him?

But the open honesty in Dwalin’s voice left no room for doubt, and Nori’s heart clenched.

“I’ll stay,” he promised, and Dwalin relaxed instantly, even managing a weak smile.

He ran his hand over Dwalin’s head as Dwalin lay back down against the bed, still in Nori’s arms.

“I should try sleep,” Dwalin muttered, his entire posture defeated, though at least he wasn’t crying any longer.

“Do, I’ll watch over you,” Nori said, shifting closer to Dwalin.

Crying must have truly exhausted Dwalin, as he fell asleep near instantly despite the noise outside that had unsettled him in his dreams earlier.

Nori remained awake, guarding him, warding him off nightmares. And though he was perfectly still and still as safe as before, Nori’s heart was beating frantically in his chest, his throat tight with an emotion he was too shocked to name.


	12. Chapter 12

Dwalin couldn’t remember being happier than he had been since Nori had come into his life. He hadn’t experienced such simple peaceful joy for longer than should be possible, and whenever he had come close it had never been as consistent and pure, filling him up and making his heart sing with nothing able to tarnish it. 

He must have been a young child, or an adolescent at most, when he’d last felt such simple calm joy. Not the ecstasy of something particularly good happening, or the peace of getting to rest after something strenuous had happened. This was an all enveloping ease and happiness, always there in the background of anything else. He was just content the entire time, anything bad soothed by Nori’s presence, anything good magnified for the joy of having someone he loved there to share it with. 

What he felt for Nori wasn’t a bright burning passion he had once thought a true love would bring, but rather the gentle heat of a hearth that melted away weary tension and cold. Not that there was a lack of fire between them, burning fiercer than anything. It was more and less than Dwalin had expected at the same time, but it was the perfect balance either way. He wanted nothing more than for this to last and never stop.

So when the mountain air grew warmer and the snow started to melt on the road Dwalin awaited the spring with a heavy heart. 

“It is no more than a month, a fortnight if you hurry,” Nori said when Dwalin held him rather than turning his attention to packing his bag. 

“I will miss you too, I wish you didn’t have to leave, but I’d rather be alone than deprive you from your family.”

“Bring me back some trinkets, to prove you thought of me!”

Teasing and reassurances of not growing too lonely in Dwalin’s absence made leaving just a little easier, and days later than he normally would have left, Dwalin shouldered his pack and set out to cross the now easy to pass roads to his family. 

He had made a point of visiting at least once a year, when he could; taking the money he had collected over that time and giving it to his cousins who needed it more than he. Now he carried a purse with the coins, and a small bundle Nori had given him so he could gift some shawls to his relatives. Nori had woven them just for the occasion. 

Dwalin walked through the cold, the mountain slopes coming alive around him and the last snow of the year crunching pleasantly under his boots. The cold air bit into his skin in a way that made Dwalin feel alive, and though he yearned to return to his home to be with Nori he pushed on. 

Since when had his house in the tiny settlement started to feel like _home_?

The main city of Ered Luin was under solid rock, for the most part, with some of the streets branching out into an area where the mountain was cracked like a tree struck by lightning, revealing the sky and exposing the city to the elements. The palace lay deep within, in the oldest part of the city, and the houses around were where Dwalin’s family lived. Dwalin hadn’t sent a message ahead, to let his family know of his arrival, but he knew that soon enough the word would spread from those who knew him. 

The first place Dwalin visited was Thorin’s palace. Most of it was occupied by a small public library, rooms for the council and the merchants to meet, throne rooms, halls for the guards, and completely dedicated to his role as temporary Lord of Ered Luin, and King of the Ereborean Dwarves living in diaspora. Only few Dwarves were in that part of the palace, with no sign of audiences being held, so Dwalin moved on to the small wing of the palace where the family actually resided. 

He didn’t pay heed to those working around him, but it was no surprise that Thorin heard of his arrival before Dwalin reached the main hall. 

He was dressed in his plainest clothes, nearly threadbare from decades of hard use whenever he needed to do work some kind. There were patches and fresh dust from whatever it was that needed work, and a smudge of ash on his cheeks as he approached Dwalin smiling in a way brightened his entire face. 

“The lost cousin is finally here!” he called out and spread his arms. 

Dwalin dropped his bag, closing the gap between him and his King, clasped Thorin’s shoulders and cracked his forehead against Thorin’s hard enough to make his ears ring. 

“Hurried over the second the roads became passable.” 

Thorin took one step back to look Dwalin over. 

“You look healthier than last time. Been eating lots of sweet buns, haven’t you?”

Dwalin snorted and flicked his fingers over Thorin’s ash streaked cheek. 

“And you’ve gone over to turning grey entirely. Wouldn’t leave it to your hair?”

Thorin shrugged and turned to walk towards where the kitchen was. Every time Dwalin returned after a long absence the first thing he did was some hot beverage and food, if there were leftovers. Since he just arrived whenever he happened to reach the palace he never expected to be cooked for, and was grateful to be given whatever could be found. 

He followed Thorin into the small room with traces of the hearth being cleaned thoroughly; explaining the state of the King’s clothes and face. 

Thorin poured some hot water from an old battered samovar, took a small pot of honey to add a scoop to the mug, and threw in a few dried leaves from an earthenware box. As he prepared it Dwalin placed his bag under the old wooden table and rolled his shoulders to work out some of the tension. As he sat on one of the mismatched chairs, Thorin placed the mug before him, and then added a plate with a slice of fresh bread and a little cheese. 

“Are you planning on staying for long?” Thorin asked as he sat down across from Dwalin. 

Dwalin reached for the drink first, needing it to warm up in lack of a burning hearth. 

“Not longer than usual,” he said after gulping down some of the sweet drink, feeling pleasant warmth spread through his belly immediately. “I’m needed back at the settlement.”

Thorin’s eyebrows rose a little at that remark. He agreed that Dwalin helping out in the areas further away from the capital was a good idea, but he’d always liked to argue that just the familiar presence by his side was enough to be of use should Dwalin stay. He never did though. At first because he felt like he needed to be alone, and later because there was nothing truly useful he could do while he was with his entire family. There were enough of them for Dwalin’s presence not benefiting in a significant way when it came to work that could be done. 

“Did anything new happen while you were there this past year?”

It was question Thorin always asked, and Dwalin always replied with a quick summary of trade caravans and buildings that were repaired or put to new use. Nothing had really happened in the years of Dwalin only returning for a little while every year.

This time however, something truly _had_ happened. 

Nori’s influence on Dwalin’s happiness and the love he brought him burned on Dwalin’s tongue. He paused his movements, his lips already parted to give the usual reply, the words already feeling wrong as Dwalin still tried to think of how to explain how he had met the perfect Dwarf and love. 

Thorin noticed the pause, and the strange expression on Dwalin’s face. Before he could ask about it, the heavy door leading deeper into the living quarters creaked. 

Answers could wait, Dwalin decided, as Dís pushed the door open with her back, sliding into the room with empty bowls in her hands preventing her from opening it properly. She looked up as soon as she entered, and laughed when she spotted Dwalin. 

“Guests! Haven’t seen you in so long I completely forgot how your face looks!”

She put the bowls on the table with more force than necessary and practically jumped at Dwalin to sling her arms around his neck. It wasn’t often that Dís showed such affection to anyone, but she had started hugging Dwalin like that when she was barely more than a pebble, demanding to hug her cousin while walking on unsteady legs. They had never stopped this. 

Dwalin returned the embrace and laughed when she finally let go with an annoyed grunt. It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable position to hug someone in after all, so Dís quickly pulled out a chair and sat down with Dwalin and Thorin.

“When did you arrive?”

“Minutes ago.”

Dís nodded, and Dwalin took a moment to take her sight in. Her hair was braided back and up into a crown, her beard plaits pulled up so they were out of the way and could not be grabbed my tiny children. There was a sling wrapped around her torso, though empty now. Kíli most likely already had gotten some food and now was taking a nap. 

“Tell me, what’s new!” she said, leaning towards Dwalin with her arms crossed on the table and an attentive expression. Unlike Thorin, who knew Dwalin’s stubbornness and stoicism to be a lost cause, she didn’t let Dwalin’s vague recollections of unimportant things slide, instead she always tried to make sure he was healthy and happy. The less Dwalin could tell her with any semblance of enthusiasm, the more Dís worried for him. There was no use in trying to hide it from her, though Dwalin never knew what she wanted him to do about his happiness. Until now. 

He glanced at Thorin, who was still waiting for when he had asked it, and then at Dís who looked ready to tear into Dwalin’s lack of live outside of work. 

“I…” he started, trying to think of how to explain what had happened between running into a beautiful Dwarf in the market and realizing that he had never thought he’d love someone as fiercely as furnaces and as comforting as a warm embrace at the same time. 

“I met someone.”

This was met by blank looks and frowns, the conclusion coming slow for the siblings. Dwalin assumed that guessing it had anything to do with romance would contradict everything they had seen of him in the past years. 

“Who?” Thorin asked.

“A weaver. He was only passing through town at first but he moved in.”

Thorin and Dís exchanged a look, and then stared at Dwalin with disbelief. 

“How’d that happen,” Dís asked, and Thorin added, “Who exactly is that Dwarf?”

Dwalin looked into his mug and sighed. It felt strange to tell them, feeling as if they would disapprove though there was no reason to.

“His name is Nori, and I started chatting with him cause I was guarding near where he put up his wares. The most beautiful woven things. We just were comfortable around each other and then he moved in and we’re just sharing a home.”

Dwalin leaned down to his pack, rummaging a little before pulling out the purse of coins and the silver and blue shawl with snow and cloud patterns for Dís. 

“He made this when I told him I would visit you,” he told Dís and placed the soft material before her. She touched it slowly, staring at the pretty colours as Dwalin put the purse next to it.

“I had to buy better furniture and such, so there is less than usual, I’m sorry.”

Thorin’s frown deepened at that.

“There’s no need for any of it Dwalin. We can get by without you giving us all you can spare.”

“It is my duty to help my family,” Dwalin said just as soon as Thorin started his worn out objection to the coins. They both knew he would eventually take them, and use the money for Dís’ children. 

“Not if you work yourself into exhaustion for no reason and don’t keep anything for yourself.”

“I don’t work as much as before. There’s been some changes with the warehouses anyway, and it’s easier now.”

Before Thorin could reply to that one Dís looked up at Dwalin, her eyes a little sad.

“Trust me Dwalin, things have changed here as well. We appreciate the coins, but we can be comfortable without.”

She glanced down at the shawl. 

“Does he make you happy?”

“More than I have been in years,” Dwalin replied with no hesitation. 

Dís nodded. 

“Good. I don’t know who he is, but that’s enough I suppose. Keep those coins for yourself in the future and buy him something nice once in a while. Better keep that Dwarf happy if he makes you happy for it.”

Thorin took the purse and went to put it away in the heavy box in the corner of the kitchen.

“Anything to get you out of that hole you’ve been in,” he said, and Dwalin stared at his food. 

He wasn’t sure what to feel about the reactions. It always had rubbed him the wrong way that his family insisted on him trying to break out of the numbness he had been it. There was never anything he knew to try, and he hadn’t wanted to feel useless in what little he could give them. But there was no denying that it had been worse than he’d felt at the time, in his numbness, now that it was over and he felt nothing but joy when he thought of his life. At least that would be over now that they were reassured of Dwalin enjoying his life once more. 

“Thank you for understanding,” he said after a while, not sure how to express his gratitude. He wasn’t sure why he felt it. Was it because his family readily accepted him being in love as long as he was happy? Or because they where fine with Dwalin no longer having as much coin to spare, when really they’ve been telling him he might as well keep it for years.

Thorin gave Dwalin a long look, before making a strange sound that was somewhere between a snort and a laugh. 

“We’ll have to drink to that,” he said, and for the first time in years Dwalin felt no trace of reluctance at the thought of merely wasting time and enjoying himself with his cousin. 

*

Lawara’s hair had always been what Dwalin loved the most, and what he’d always wished he’d inherited from her when he was still small and concerned with such things. It was silky and thick, dark and with the prettiest blue sheen that was not uncommon among Stiffbeards but non-existent among Longbeards without ancestors from other clans. Dwalin had inherited its thickness, but nothing else. His own hair was a boring grey brown, wiry, and not suited for pretty braids at all. 

His own hair had grown paler over the years, but there was little about Lawara’s face and hair that showed her old age. She was still elegant, with dark blue hair, and a beautiful face. She moved slower now, and she used a cane sometimes, but she had never been one to move about much. 

Watching her move about the tiny kitchen in their old home exactly as she had decades ago was soothing. Visiting his mother always seemed to comfort Dwalin, no matter what his troubles were. She prepared tea and set out plates for broth in the exact motions and absent minded shifting as if she was remembering a dance as she had when Dwalin had been a child, and for a little while Dwalin could feel as if he had about as many concerns as when he had been that age. 

Now, watching her also inevitably pulled his eye to the shawl around her shoulders. Nori had chosen the perfect colours, red and black and threads of purple. Lawara’s hair fell over it unbraided, looking all the more vibrant with the contrast. She had loved the gift Dwalin had brought her, and then she had wanted to know all about Nori of course. 

It was strange to answer those prying questions to his mother, and Dwalin tried his hardest to do Nori justice. He didn’t know when he would be able to take Nori to meet his family, as Nori was busy too, and Dwalin wished for nothing more but for his mother to approve of him. 

Once Lawara set out the bowls for dinner she joined him at the small table. It was just the two of them now, as Balin had travelled to the east and wouldn’t return before Dwalin left once more.

Dwalin thanked her for the meal and they started in comfortable silence. Lawara was eating with neat bites and occasionally looked up to smile at her son, while Dwalin enjoyed her cooking. There were certain things only she could get absolutely right, and Dwalin always loved it when she cooked for him and he got to help her prepare. He was certainly not a child anymore, but he had never quite cared about whether these things should be as comforting as they were. 

This meal was different though. Dwalin was all too aware of his heartbeat, eating quickly to keep his mouth occupied and preventing himself from speaking too soon. He hadn’t told anyone yet, had barely even dared thinking of it, but his mother was the first who ought to know. 

“Ama,” he said after a while, and Lawara looked up with a questioning hum. 

“What is it, my little bear?”

Dwalin steeled himself. 

“I want to ask Nori to marry me,” he said, managing to keep himself from blurting the words out as one incomprehensible mess.

He glanced at his mother nervously, but she only smiled encouraging. 

“You want my blessing?”

“… yes,” he said after some hesitation. 

Lawara reached up to cup Dwalin’s cheek. 

“I would give my blessing to whoever you decide to give your heart to, regardless of who they are or what I think of them. Your loyalty and devotion is hard won, and I’m sure he deserves whatever you choose to give.”

Dwalin smiled in relief. He wasn’t sure how he’d expected, but he was glad to hear his mother agree with it. 

“Thank you.”

Lawara smiled and turned her attention back to her food for a while. 

“Have you decided how you wish to ask him?”

Dwalin shook his head, his worry returning immediately. 

“It should come with a sweet gesture, even if it’s not much,” Lawara said. “I’m sure you can think of something.”

*

Despite his mother’s confidence, Dwalin started to doubt his ability to think of a good gift nearly immediately.

Sure, he could probably find something worthy of the occasion, or even create something himself, but he didn’t exactly have as much time as he would have liked for something like this. He’d already stayed for a week and wanted to return back home as soon as possible, which only gave him a few more days to decide. He could also take care of this when he returned, but Dwalin wanted to ask Nori right away and there was the chance that Nori would find out about any preparations and ruin the surprise. 

With the time constraint in mind Dwalin ended up brooding over the matter for the rest of the day. Any idea that came to mind was carefully weighted and considered before being dismissed as not good enough. The few that seemed both acceptable and manageable in the short time were jotted down on a list and crossed out just to be written back down again. 

At night Dwalin wouldn’t stop either, lying alone on his old bed and staring at the window with a deep frown, not able to sleep peacefully. The morning wasn’t much better, as Dwalin hadn’t rested well and took his list to stare at in the kitchen, half hoping that the change of location might do anything for his inspiration. 

As so often, it was his mother who found a solution for Dwalin’s problems. 

Lawara arrived in the kitchen where Dwalin was brooding over his list and set about preparing some tea. As soon as the kettle was set up next to the small hearth to boil water, she pulled out a chair and sat by Dwalin’s side. There was a small handkerchief in her hands, which she spread out to reveal an old piece of jewellery. 

“Here, have I ever shown this to you?” she asked, and waited for Dwalin to lean closer to inspect the thing. 

It was a bracelet, stained from age and dirt and going unused. The clasps were a little rusty, and Dwalin could see where it seemed like a few gems gone missing or had been pried out; though he couldn’t tell whether it was from force or to have them replaced by others. The shape of an Erebor raven was still recognizable on it, though half of the black jade that once had given it colour was gone. 

“Pretty,” Dwalin commented, distractedly thinking about what would need fixing to return the piece to its former glory. 

“My Ama used to wear this,” Lawara said. “It was the first piece she bought in Erebor, and it was quite pretty back then. She gave it to me later, but I rarely had the occasion to use it. Petty it’s in this state now.”

She glanced up at her son. 

“Do you think you could fix this up?”

“Sure,” Dwalin said, feeling his heart drop at the thought of still not having figured out something for his proposal while having a project like this. He would do anything his mother asked of course, but he wished he’d been quicker about his own business. 

“Good,” Lawara said with a smile. “Because it would be sweet to give this to your Dwarf to welcome him into the family.”

Dwalin stared at her with wide eyes.

“Ama, you can’t give away something like this. It means so much to you!”

She waved him off with a gentle shrug. 

“It has emotional value, but I’m not as attached to this as to some other things. But it has family history, and it would be meaningful for you to give it to your Dwarf as well. Welcome him, and give him something that’s both part of your family, and part something you worked on yourself.”

Dwalin stared at his mother for a few heartbeats longer, searching for some reluctance in her words, trying to figure out whether he really could do this. When he found nothing but an encouraging smile he got up quickly, embraced his mother and kissed her on the cheek.

“Thank you Ama! I will make sure this is the prettiest thing anyone in Ered Luin has ever seen!”

He made his way to a guildhall where he could work as soon as they finished their tea. For a few coins Dwalin would get materials and use of any tools, so he set to work immediately.

There weren’t any stones to replace the black jade with, anything Dwalin could find being just slightly wrong, and he didn’t wish to compromise on his work. Instead he picked a few tiny blue topazes to go on the main part of the bracelet, and some white jade for the raven’s shape. 

He carefully repaired the clasps and worked to repair and sign of age, replaced the missing gems and switched out any that looked like they had been damaged or were less than perfect. Once the white joined the older black gems the raven looked much like a magpie, giving the old piece of jewellery a new look and creating something out of the old without the change being noticeable at all. 

It would suit Nori, Dwalin thought after he finished his work on the piece and had polished it to its old glory. Magpies were cheerful little things as far as Dwalin knew, perhaps lesser cousins of royal Ravens but clever as far as birds went, and lively and simple, found milling about Dwarf settlements further down the mountains. There were few ravens around these parts Dwalin recalled seeing much, and if they were they were half the size of the sombre and wise birds in Erebor’s halls. He had been too young to really be included in conversations the birds had with lords and scholars, but to Dwalin a Raven had very little to do with a Dwarf like Nori. 

Like this the bracelet would reference Dwalin’s family, but suit Nori as if it had been made with him in mind to begin with. 

Dwalin cradled the bracelet in his hands for a long while after he was done, rubbing his thumb along its edge. It was much too slim for him, but he could picture it on Nori’s delicate wrists perfectly. He would _see_ it, a reminder of having brought somebody new to the family – that was, if Mahal granted it, should Nori actually agree to marriage. 

It wasn’t as if Dwalin doubted that Nori loved him, and wished to live with Dwalin at the very least. But it was still something else entirely to take this step.

The next day Dwalin said his goodbyes to his family, embracing his mother and Dís, knocking heads with Thorin and jokingly exchanging some familiar mockery, promising little Fíli to bring some fancy toy the next time he visited, and then shouldered his pack and set out. 

His axes were strapped on in their familiar place, his pack was heavier for now containing Dwalin’s coat he decided to shed with the warmer weather, and a small package in his breast pocket containing a small bracelet burned against his skin with what it meant. Dwalin couldn’t remember ever feeling so light while walking the now familiar path to his settlement, and he’d never hurried this much before for sure. 

The last traces of winter had melted, leaving behind fields of flowers. There was no white left on these parts of the mountain, besides patches of snowdrops, and everywhere Dwalin looked there was colour and sweet scents and the sound of birds and bees going about their business. For all that he had taken this path in similar times every year it seemed as if now was the first time Dwalin noticed any of it to his surprise. 

When he finally arrived at the settlement Dwalin could barely contain the need to run back home that last stretch of the way. He was greeted in the street and barely managed to squeeze out replies in kind, but nobody seemed to mind. The settlement was full of life, with Dwarves chatting at corners and hammers clanging brightly were winter’s damage was repaired or projects delayed by the snow were picked up again. 

For all the greetings and quick enquiries about his family nobody seemed to want to stop Dwalin for an actual conversation, which he found odd until he realized that it was common knowledge that he had a sweetheart waiting at home. It made Dwalin’s cheeks flush red the next time somebody asked him how he’d been with a wink. 

The smell of berries hit him the moment Dwalin walked through the door. He dropped his pack and was in the kitchen doorway at the same moment Nori reached it. Within moments Dwalin found himself with an armful of Dwarf as Nori wrapped jumped onto him, wrapped his legs around Dwalin’s waist and kissed him soundly. 

“Welcome back!” he sang as Dwalin laughed and hugged him close. Over Nori’s shoulder he could see a giant pot on the stove, filled with whatever Nori decided to cook into a jam Dwalin assumed. 

Nori rubbed his face against Dwalin’s neck, content where he was, and Dwalin smiled, already feeling as if he had never left. He was happy enough to hold Nori for as long as he demanded, but after a few moments Nori unhooked his legs from his waist and slid down. He grabbed Dwalin’s hand though before he returned to the stove to make sure nothing was about to overcook. 

Dwalin wrapped his arms around Nori’s waist and watched Nori tinker about for a few moments before Nori wiggled and turned back to face Dwalin without having to break the contact. 

“You should go relax after that journey,” Nori told Dwalin and leaned up to kiss him. 

“I am relaxing,” Dwalin said, even as Nori pushed him playfully and then backed him to the table to make him sit down. 

Dwalin sighed and watched Nori fondly. He quickly produced a slice of fresh bread, some smoked meat along with a few hard-boiled eggs, and a mug of tea to put before Dwalin. As Dwalin ate Nori proceeded to work with the jam. After a while he took the pot off the stove and then slid into the spare chair in front of Dwalin to turn his full attention on him. 

“Did you have fun?” he asked as Dwalin finished off his meal and picked up the tea. 

“As much as you do when visiting the family.”

Nori hummed and leaned his cheek against his hand, gazing up at Dwalin fondly. 

“So all as usual I suppose?”

Dwalin glanced over at Nori, thinking for a moment. He had thought of little else but to return to him and _ask_ , not really wasting much time on thinking of how he would go about that precisely. It ought to be special, romantic, prepared carefully with wisely chosen words. But looking at Nori now, sitting in front of him in their little kitchen just as he did every time they shared a meal or company, Dwalin suddenly felt like there never would be a perfect moment. 

He loved Nori with an ease and calmness about it that put Dwalin at ease, and there was little grand about it. He wouldn’t have wanted it to be. 

“Not quite,” Dwalin said, and put the mug down before reaching into his vest to pull out the package containing his gift. “I have spoken to my Ama, and she agreed that this would be the right thing to do.”

Nori was as relaxed as before as he watched Dwalin unwrap the bracelet, though Dwalin could see the burning curiosity in his eyes.

“So I would like to ask you-“ Dwalin said as he picked up the bracelet to present it to Nori, the light catching against the polished stones and making the design sparkle and shine, “- if you would do me the honour of accepting my hand in marriage.”

Whatever Nori had expected it wasn’t that. His mouth fell open, and his hand slid away from his cheek, falling on the table slack. He stared at the bracelet for a few moments, and then at Dwalin with an unreadable expression and wide eyes. Finally his lips quivered before Nori managed a smile, and his eyes shone brighter than before. 

“You silly Dwarf,” he choked out, voice a sneer as if he was trying to hide how close he was to tears with little success. “As if there’s any question about what I’d say!”

*

It was summer by the time the promise of that day was repeated before Mahal and their community. 

Dwalin had been torn between a desire to announce his luck to the world as soon as possible, and between simply enjoying the private happiness between them. If he and Nori truly wishes to make a promise then it would be just as true before Mahal if they whispered it in secret as if they let every Dwarf they had ever met know of it. 

After some consideration Nori agreed to start working on a beautiful cloak for the wedding while Dwalin would see about someone to witness their union. Friends would be invited, and there would be a feast. Ushka promised to make their apprentices bake big batches of little pies for the occasion and there would be a small feast outside the mountain. Nothing too big, just an early summer festival but with a reason this time. 

Every day Dwalin would see Nori’s biggest loom in their home, with a gorgeous purple and white cloak growing before his eyes, row by row, and every day he would be reminded of how his life had changed so much for the better since he’d accidentally met the most beautiful Dwarf he’d ever seen. Even thinking of what everything would be like had he not met Nori was hard now. 

When the day came it was warm and sunny, with flowers growing in tall grass and the scent of wild berries and pies filled the air. They had walked quite a bit away from the gates to the settlement, where bonfires would sometimes burn brightly and music would play. 

They stood by a young lone limetree, hands clasped together with a lantern burning between them, the cloak wrapped around their shoulders, and Dwalin couldn’t take his eyes off Nori the entire time. Neither of their families was there, but that didn’t matter really. There were enough Dwarves to celebrate with them, and one of the older guards gave the traditional speech to implore Mahal to bless the new couple. 

As they spoke their vows Nori’s smile shone brighter than the stars and the moon combined, and as Dwalin kissed him a buzz rose around them. So lost was he in his joy that it took Dwalin a moment to recognize it to be curses and Dwarves running. 

He pulled away from Nori reluctantly, blinking into the sunlight to see their friends making a dash for the nearest trees and to the food that had been laid out on blankets. Then he noticed the warm summer rain hitting his bare head and that everyone was running to avoid getting wet. 

By his side Nori started to laugh, a sharp and joy filled sound that made Dwalin’s heart clench with fondness. Before Dwalin could think to pull Nori out of the rain Nori slung his arms around his neck and pulled their wedding cloak around their heads to shield them. The fabric was thin enough to let the sunshine through, but not enough so to have some light summer rain soak through it.

Dwalin started laughing at the situation as well, strangely pleased for no reason he could name, but then Nori, his _husband_ was kissing him, and the weather no longer mattered to him at all.


	13. Chapter 13

Never in the ages Nori had spent roaming the forests of this world, as free as a wisp of smoke, had he thought he would be a husband, and that it would be enjoyable.

It was though, it was thrilling and warm and like owning a pretty trinket all his own. Everyone knew that he was Dwalin’s husband, and that Dwalin belonged to him, everyone could see the bead on his braid. It was something anyone could even steal, if they wished to attempt it and if Nori’s attention lapsed, but nobody could steal away what that little thing represented.

Sometimes Nori wondered what Aulë would say of a little fox having married one of his Dwarves while asking for his blessing. Did he mind spirits like Nori was doing such a thing? The thought that they were somehow protected by Dwalin’s Maker made what he had all the sweeter. 

Married life was strange to Nori sometimes, who had never lived among Dwarves for such a long time.

The settlement offered enough entertainment though, full of Dwarves who didn’t know how to spot a spirit among their midst, unaware of half the pranks Nori pulled. It was too tempting to take a thing here, and misplace one there when he roamed around. He rarely took an actual solid shape when he did so, not feeling like being chased around as a fox when he might just as well slip by unnoticed as a puff of smoke. His presence only did the settlement good anyway, both as the Dwarf with skilled fingers and beautifully woven textiles, and as the fox.

Though Nori wouldn’t take full credit for bullying the last horrid warehouse owner out of the town, he did feel like some of the settlement’s new prosperity was at least a little bit his merit. It was thanks to him that so many of the sellswords that used to work for Tulek finally decided to turn their attention to better things and better earning work. It was thanks to this that there was a small but well structured guard, which could also be thanks to his little tricks and the Dwarves of the town feeling like the guard was needed.

There was better trade now, and some who used to journey from place to place with their trade - much like Nori had pretended to do at first – had decided to settle down here as well.

What one mischievous spirit couldn’t get done…

The guardhouse was a decently sized building, though almost too small to be a guardhouse. There were only a few cells, mostly empty save for Dwarves spending one night after a brawl or drinking one too many and sobering up where they couldn’t cause trouble. They had a communal kitchen which they shared with metalworkers from the nearby forges to warrant such a use, a few rooms to relax, and a small arena where Dwarves who weren’t part of the guard also went to spar and train.

And of course, an unused library, that Nori knew didn’t contain more than a few scrolls regarding laws that any guard probably knew by heart. (He knew all of this after sneaking through the building out of curiosity and not finding anything worth his time). Said library would have been used by a scholar of law, if the guardhouse had been located in a bigger town. There was no use for one here, there was no real crime happening anyway, and minor grievances were dealt with privately.

Nori didn’t care about whether or not his little nameless settlement had one of those scholars or not, it didn’t impact his life with Dwalin or his occasional tricks and explorations of the area either way. At least that was what he thought until he heard gossip about someone coming to take up the position.

He was setting up his pretty woven goods to sell for the day, when he heard a wool merchant chatting with one of the guards, both of them excited. Whoever the scholar was, they had just completed an apprenticeship and worked as a scribe where they had grown up near the towns of Men. They wished to become a scholar of law though, and for this wanted to take on the responsibility of being the head scribe of a settlement’s guard, even one in such a small and uneventful place. Recording what was happening there and dealing with such things as helping with disputes or contracts would be repetitive work surely, but it would help them gather experience much quicker than working as someone’s assistant.

 

  
*

 

Dwalin looked pleased with himself as he returned home that night, eager to share some good news with Nori and even ignoring the stew that bubbled over the fire.

“There’ll be a judge coming to live here,” Dwalin announced after wrapping his hands around Nori’s waist and kissing him hello. “A young scribe promised to settle down here as she learns to take care of stuff at the guardhouse.”

“You should be proud of yourself,” Nori said and teasingly tugged at Dwalin’s beard. “Your guard is doing so well they now need somebody to take care of paperwork and all that dull stuff that proves you’re being useful.”

Dwalin shook his head, and there was a glint in his eye.

“Even better! It’s you who’s doing the best work around here!”

“Oh?” Nori raised an eyebrow, briefly wondering whether Dwalin had somehow found out about his game of leading the guard on a merry chase to keep them occupied in an otherwise peaceful settlement.

“The scribe will need a proper judge’s shawl, won’t she? And you’re the one who’s getting the commission!”

That did surprise Nori. He wasn’t the only weaver who might be consulted for such a thing, and a judge’s shawl was important and precious. Not in material worth maybe, but the simple and elegant piece of fabric with intricate patterns at the edges was something some scholars kept for decades and took great care of. To be asked to make one of those proved without doubt that the forest spirit was respected and honoured for his craft by a people who put a lot of energy into perfecting their artistries.

Nori couldn’t help but preen at that compliment, already imagining what threads to pick to make such a thing as Dwalin laughed and filled two bowls with food. Though it wasn’t his work receiving such high praise, Dwalin looked as if he was about to burst from pride. He sat near Nori with eyes shining in admiration when the weaver set out to start working on the piece that evening.

The very next week Dwalin brought him to the guardhouse, showing him the newly established office for the judge, as well as having some guards introduce him to the judge herself.

Erkni was a quiet and plain looking Dwarf, with dark brown hair and pale freckled cheeks. She was quite young, and had ribbons of a dark red-brick colour woven into her beard, complementing the crimson of the judge’s shawl Nori presented to her.

He wasn’t sure what pleased him more, seeing her excitement for being presented the symbol of her new status and the praise raining down on him from all sides, or the sudden idea that bloomed in his head watching her in the red fabric.

Nori was paid handsomely for his work, and as he watched pretty clasps get attached to the shawl before it was folded to be put away it took all his willpower to keep himself from smirking.

 

*

It was laughably easy to slip into the guardhouse and all the way towards the judge’s office undetected, even if he was a fox and not a full-grown Dwarf in that moment. Nori made sure nobody was near as he rose in a column of smoke to take the shape he had chosen for himself, briefly putting his palm against the lock. He could pick it the old fashioned way, but using a whisper of magic was quicker. It was still early morning, but Nori didn’t feel like having any guard too close before he was ready.

The shawl and clasps were neatly placed on top of the desk, immediately in view once he entered the room. It was too convenient really, with them just there for the taking. But there were no traps, no catch with this. The guards simply assumed that nobody would sneak all the way here and break the lock before fleeing with anything stolen completely unnoticed. Besides, Erkni hadn’t made any enemies and probably never would in this small settlement, and there was nothing of actual value. Even the shawl was more symbolic in nature than anything.

Nori nonchalantly strode to the desk, carefully folded the shawl so that the clasps were inside, and tucked it into his jacket. He glanced around once more to confirm that there wasn’t anything interesting left to check out, and then went to lock the door once more and turn into smoke again.

He drifted around aimlessly, watching guards and Erkni who was shown around, waiting for the moment his theft was noticed. It took quite some time, until finally the young judge decided to return to her office to make herself familiar with her new workspace. Once she opened the door the missing item was painfully obvious and soon the entire guard was alerted, leaving Nori free to settle near the cells to watch the situation unfold.

Nori knew that he would be barely able to keep himself from howling with laughter had he not turned into a pale cloud of smoke. None of the guards were anywhere near the cell, all furiously trying to come up with some way one might have stolen the judge’s symbols or whether someone had misplaced them against all odds. While Erkni didn’t condemn anyone’s oversight, the shame for having lost something so soon was palpable.

It had been mere hours since the shawl’s disappearance, and Nori had delighted in watching the chaos caused by his prank. So far word about this incident hadn’t gotten out of the guardhouse, but it would only be a matter of time. Nori briefly toyed with the idea of letting it happen, before remembering that Dwalin had expressed interest in learning how to make Nori’s favourite pie that night. To keep the prank going and not miss the baking Nori would have to leave the guardhouse and hide the shawl for a while, which would mean he wouldn’t get to see the full extend of the guards’ agitation.

The pale smoke swirled around through the empty corridors for a while, avoiding anyone who dashed past in attempts to fight some sort of clue. It lingered near the cells for a moment, before easily slipping through bars of one that was locked securely. Nori took solid shape only long enough to take the shawl out of his jacket and fold it nearly to gently put it on the cot several feet away from the cell door. The gold plated pins were set on top of the material neatly, catching the light from the tiny window near the ceiling.

To ensure the quick discovery Nori pulled out one of his daggers and dragged the handle over the cell’s bars with a loud metallic clang. Before anyone had the time to rush to investigate he was already gone. 

A guard came, not expecting to see more than something falling over, and startled when they saw the crimson fabric inside a cell. They grabbed for the door with a surprised yell, finding it locked. More guards came at the noise, their voices rising in anger and confusion as it was discovered that the door was locked, and nobody had touched the keys. They only got more frantic when it was discovered that not only had the shawl and the pins turned up somewhere they ought not be, but that they were folded in a way that meant that _someone_ must have entered and left a locked cell without anyone noticing.

Blame was thrown around, questions asked, the few relieved comments about the thing at least turning up again were shut down by more angry remarks on how the shawl should not have been gone in the first place.

With all of this nobody noticed the pale smoke coiling just under the ceiling, twitching like shoulders shaking from laughter, before slipping through the bars of the window and disappearing from sight.

 

*

 

It had become a regular thing for Dwalin to spend some evenings catching up with friends at the pub, drinking and laughing and telling stories. Nori rarely came along, preferring to spend these evenings at his loom. Though he never minded Dwalin’s presence as he worked, Dwalin knew that sometimes one just needed time alone when working on their craft.

Usually it was his friends from guarding caravans, some still doing just this, others now part of the town’s permanent guard. It was good to talk to them and have something like this to look forward to.

That night it was only Itîm there with him, a deep furrow on her brow not quite disappearing even after the third ale.

They chatted about things that were going on in the settlement at first, mentioning projects in their respective crafts and joking around a little before she finally told him what had tired her so much. At first Dwalin thought it was a joke when she described how the judge’s shawl had been stolen on the same day it had been locked into the new office, just to turn up in an equally locked cell. But Itîm kept reassuring him that she was quite serious, and after a while Dwalin decided that she wasn’t one for joking about her work anyway. It didn’t make the situation any less comical.

“You sure it’s not just some cheeky young guard doing all of it with spare keys?” he asked, smirking into his drink.

He had seen similar things happen before after all, pranks were to be expected.

Itîm shrugged.

“Don’t think so. Even if it is, there’s still too much stuff like that happening around here. Small things disappearing, places being broken into where it shouldn’t have been possible without at least some sort of ruckus or traces of the break in. I think whoever is doing all of this thinks they’re clever.”

She set her drink down, her frown deepening as she stared at Dwalin.

“Getting to take stuff all over the place, even if it’s of little worth, and then taking and hiding something from our own quarters just like that? It’s like they’re trying to rub it in our faces that they can get away with it. We can’t just let this slide, we can’t let the guard be toyed with like this!”

Dwalin hummed in agreement.

“Suppose so. Not sure if it’s not just some clever kid still. What are you gonna do about it that you didn’t already try?”

Finally Itîm’s frown eased off her face and her smile became a pleased one.

“I don’t know if it’ll work, so I’m not gonna brag about my idea, but I wrote to a friend from a town by the sea. He might send me something that will help.”

Dwalin raised his eyebrows but didn’t push the matter. 

He did not own anything worth stealing even as a prank, and if it really was somebody playing tricks it wasn’t anything worth his attention. Whatever Itîm had in mind, the only investment Dwalin felt was hoping that his friend could succeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two or three chapters left my friends


	14. Chapter 14

Nori sat among the careful piles of his tools, yarns, and the folded stacks of textiles he had already made. His eyes moved over the pretty colours, the threads he had already picked out for the next commission and the sketches where he had mapped out how he wanted the colours and patterns to look like. Nothing caught his attention at the moment, not even his favourite thread that looked like it was molten gold when it was brought close to a candle’s light.

Usually it didn’t take much to entertain the fox, but today was a day where Nori couldn’t be bothered to focus his attention on anything at all. There wasn’t even a prank he wanted to play, or anything interesting he wanted to spy on as it was a cool day and rain kept drizzling down half-heartedly. The weather didn’t even have the decency to be cold enough to warrant a fire he could have stretched out in front of. It was as if the world had conspired to be as dull as possible just to spite Nori. 

With a quiet whine Nori let himself fall off his seat in front of his loom, flopping down on the floor loudly. He stretched out as much as he could, fingertips brushing over the stone wall furthest from him, back slightly arched off the ground. Nori held the position as best he could, staring at the ceiling with a pout, and waited for some idea to hit him. None came, and when even just lying around in a weird position became too boring Nori let out a groan, louder than before, and rolled over on his side. 

Anything would be better than this, he thought idly as he stared at nothing. A challenge, a new thing to have fun with while everything else bored him. Maybe a trip to the sea or back to the forest for a bit, but that would mean leaving Dwalin for a while, which was the opposite of Nori’s idea of fun. Dwalin wasn’t boring, and never would be. It truly was a pain sometimes, to deal with occasional waves of boredom like this to be close to the one thing that would forever hold Nori’s attention. He needed _something_ , just a second more of nothing to entertain him would be _torture_!

As if on cue the front door of their house creaked and opened, the familiar heavy footsteps of a tall Dwarf entering sounding right behind. Nori spun around and pushed himself off the ground with a leap, running to the hall and crashing into Dwalin before he could even close the door behind him properly. Despite being caught off guard strong arms wrapped around Nori’s thighs to help him keep his balance, and Dwalin’s chuckle rumbled through Nori’s chest pleasantly. 

“What’s this all about?” Dwalin asked, his fingers already finding their way to the end of Nori’s braid to tug at it playfully.

“I’ve been so bored today,” Nori complained, nuzzling deeper against Dwalin’s furs and inhaling the scent of them. 

“No weaving to be done?”

“Nothing urgent, and my creative patience is running thin today.”

“Anything that could alleviate your suffering?” Dwalin asked with a grin, and Nori couldn’t help a sharp smile. 

“There’s some things I could come up with,” Nori replied, and squeaked when Dwalin’s hands squeezed his arse. 

“Then lets do just that.”

Before Nori could tell him just what he wanted him to do, Dwalin captured his lips with his own, kissing him deeply as he carried Nori to their bedroom blindly. That, Nori decided, was the opposite of boring. 

 

*

 

It was still raining as Nori cuddled up with Dwalin, warm and comfortable in their bed, and still relaxed from their previous activities.

“Tell me something interesting,” Nori demanded, burrowing further against Dwalin’s side and tugging some more blankets around his shoulders. “It’s been so dull lately.”

Dwalin chuckled and ran his hand through Nori’s dishevelled braid. 

“This is your opinion no matter what if you’re in a mood.”

He did shrug and start considering though.

“Nothing out of the ordinary happened… I might take on another position in a caravan in a few weeks. It’s going to the sea again, you might be able to join, or tell me if there’s something special I could bring back for you.”

Nori hummed as he thought about it. A journey with Dwalin might be nice. 

“There’s also the thefts and pranks that have been going on all over the place…” Dwalin said slowly. This wasn’t news at all, given how Nori had personally seen to each occasion, and it took no effort to hide his glee at the shenanigans. 

“Those are the gossip all over the crafter’s corner of the market, it’s hardly news.”

“Maybe, but with what happened recently-“ Dwalin cut himself off, frowning as he ran a hand over Nori’s back in soothing circles. 

“Something at the guardhouse, right?” Nori asked. Apart from him and the guards nobody knew what exactly had happened, though rumours were persistent and some of them much more fun than what Nori had actually done. 

“Nothing really happened,” Dwalin proceeded. “Nobody was harmed, yet it’s more than the guards can let slide. Itîm talked about having an idea for what to do about this and she seemed hopeful too.”

“Oh?” At that Nori perked up, keeping his voice a perfectly neutral tone with just the right hint of curiosity. Somebody actually had an idea? He knew Itîm, she wasn’t one to come up with the usual foolish things. 

“She didn’t tell me what it was, didn’t want to get all confident about something that might not make a difference.”

Nori shrugged and snuggled closer to Dwalin, already feeling much more excited than he’d thought he could get that day. 

“Lets hope she’ll get results. We could use some other topic to talk about at the market stalls,” Nori said, and Dwalin laughed. 

“Is this why you want that prankster caught? New gossip?”

“That, and I want my friend to get some glory too.”

Dwalin went on to describe something that had happened the last time he was in the company of the guard, and Nori didn’t need to hide his smirk from him. Part of him wanted to go and spy on Itîm to find out just what she had thought up, but a much larger part couldn’t wait for the surprise. There wasn’t anything a Dwarf could do about catching a spirit like him, so he didn’t worry about it at all. 

Really, Nori started to wonder how to have some fun while also making it seem like Itîm had done as much as was possible. It wasn’t her fault that Nori couldn’t be caught like the cloud of smoke he was most of the time when he played his game. Let her have some credit for her effort, if it was indeed something that could entertain Nori. 

He could not wait for the day she’d reveal her plan. 

 

*

Three weeks had passed since the day Itîm said she was working on something, and finally Dwalin met her in the street, looking excited and confident about something. 

“Any day now,” she told him, “I can’t wait, I can barely keep it to myself, even if this doesn’t work with helping us catch the prankster, it’ll still be great.”

Dwalin laughed with her, surprised about her good mood. 

“Then at the very least your time won’t be wasted.”

“No, on the contrary. I’ll show you as soon as I can, and Nori too, and everyone,” Itîm said, grinning. “I get the feeling that I won’t be the only one who’s all excited about this.”

Dwalin left her to her preparations then, his curiosity growing but wishing to leave her to her surprise. He was glad that she wouldn’t be wasting too much effort on something that might not even work out at least. 

The next day Dwalin walked to the guardhouse with a good mood. He would help train some younger guards, join some others for a nice meal and an ale later on. Nori had promised to accompany him this time as well, though he was still at the market, which meant Dwalin would get to spend the day surrounded by everything good that he hadn’t been able to appreciate for so long. Friends, a lover, something to do that had a purpose and didn’t grind down his soul slowly but steadily. 

When Dwalin entered the guardhouse and made his way towards the training grounds he noticed that nobody was there besides the two guards usually stationed by the entrance to the building, both of them looking miffed about something. He wondered about that as he walked by the armoury and break room, finding nothing wrong inside the guardhouse. As he approached the training grounds Dwalin started to hear excited voices, as well as sounds like that of an animal he couldn’t place immediately. 

Rounding the corner through the big door leading to the open space meant for sparring and training in weapons revealed what the noise was all about, as well as why the guards he had seen were annoyed. 

In the middle of the room stood Itîm, surrounded by what looked to be everyone working in the building at that moment, as well as three giant beasts. Dwalin stopped in his tracks the second he saw them, thinking for a second that these were Wargs. It took him a few moments to notice that their snouts were smaller though, and their fur longer with a curly texture, as well as being entirely the wrong colour for a Warg, being various shades of brown rather than dark grey or black. 

Carefully approaching Dwalin tried decide what to do about this. The second he came close the dogs looked at him, tails wagging and eyes full of excitement. 

“Dwalin!” Itîm called from between the big furry beasts. “Come over here and pet our new friends!”

Dwalin snorted but did as he was told. He came close enough to feel the hot puffs of air as the dogs started sniffing him, and with a glance to check what everyone else was doing, he reached out to rub one of the fuzzy snouts. It earned him licked hand.

“Is this what you were so excited about?” he asked Itîm, who nodded with a grin.

“My friend breeds them for various purposes. Aren’t they lovely?”

“How will this help?” Dwalin asked, distracted by the way the light beige dog was trying very hard to lick his face while also demanding his ears to be scratched. He new that some who managed to get a hand on a good dog would keep them as guards, especially if there was a herd of goats to be protected. Other than that Dwalin didn’t know much of what one was supposed to do with a dog other than have it be a companion. 

“They’re real good at smelling, aren’t they?” someone behind him answered. “I heard they can find anyone if they just know their scent. Bit like hunting I think.”

Itîm nodded and called the dog trying to kiss Dwalin back firmly. 

“I figure these charmers can be taught to guard the settlement and then help us find the culprit who’s been messing around everywhere. Imagine, they notice something amiss and then can track our pranking thief back to their lair. Or if that doesn’t work, then maybe their presence will stop anything from happening.”

Dwalin nodded, starting to feel like this truly could work out. Watching the guards play with the dogs and the excited eager expressions on the animals’ faces also made him feel like it didn’t matter if the plan worked or no. They could always find some way to use the dogs in other ways, as guards or companions. Though Itîm now owed her friend a big favour and would have to pay off the dogs slowly, it probably wouldn’t bother anyone else if the plan didn’t work. 

“Would it be easy to train them?” he asked, eying how the dogs could barely contain their excitement about so many new people around them, tongues lolling out of their maws. 

Itîm scratched the one nearest to her behind the ears. 

“They don’t look it, but they’re really young. Just the right age to train them, even if they want to play mostly.”

One of the guards Dwalin had seen at the entrance to the guardhouse walked into the training grounds just then, and nudged another in the shoulder.

“Your turn at the door,” she said, causing the other to sigh and grumble and look at the dogs longingly before he finally stood to trade places. Watching him go she turned to Dwalin.

“Also I think your husband is there? Said something about wanting to meet up with you.”

Dwalin perked up at that, dogs immediately losing their appeal when he could be showing Nori around instead. The guard who told him already returned her attention to the dogs, clearly way more interested in savouring her shift of getting to play with them than talk. Dwalin didn’t mind though, not needing any more information other than Nori waiting for him. Though Nori knew the guard house he probably would wait at the entrance, not wanting to miss Dwalin by searching for him.

Leaving the dogs behind Dwalin followed the guard towards the entrance. Nori was already there, looking bored but perking up the moment he saw Dwalin. 

“You’ll never guess what happened,” Dwalin said as he greeted Nori with a kiss. 

Nori smirked up at him. 

“Oh? Does Itîm have news for us?”

“Yes,” Dwalin replied, a little upset that Nori had guessed it right at the first try. The excited look he gave Dwalin at that was worth it though. 

“Let me show you.”

Nori’s arms were wrapped around Dwalin’s, letting the smaller Dwarf put most of his weight on his husband, nearly hanging off him. His smile was brilliant as he listened to Dwalin’s talk, thought Dwalin could see how much it must cost him not to run ahead to satisfy his curiosity about Itîm’s plan. 

Did Nori like animals? Dwalin wasn’t sure, as far as he knew Nori was fine with ponies, but there hadn’t really been very many moments he could have observed to find out. With how small the settlement was, there were only small animals such as fowl and goats there, besides the ponies and things like stray cats or birds that nested in roofs or unused chimneys. 

Finally they reached the training grounds, and as they entered and walked towards the group of Dwarves and dogs Dwalin gestured widely with a pleased grin. 

“There you go, isn’t this a clever idea?” he said, as Nori stopped in his tracks. “Even if it doesn’t work, we still have companion animals to work for us.”

All three dogs raised her heads, suddenly looking very alert and interested, ears flicking forward. Then all at once they started barking and straining against the grip on their collars. The guards around them either took a step back to avoid the overexcited dogs, or tried to step in front of them to calm them. None of them would have it though, all of their attention focused on Dwalin. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Itîm asked, avoiding the wildly wagging tails and scratching at one of the dog’s chin. 

“Can we leave?” Nori whispered, barely loud enough for Dwalin to hear. His grip on Dwalin’s arm turned vice like, hard enough to leave bruises. 

“Why?” Dwalin asked, turning to look at his husband to find him pale as a sheet and trembling as he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the dogs. It wasn’t a reaction Dwalin had ever seen on him, and not one he’d associate with dogs. “They’re only dogs, what’s wrong, Nori?”

“Please,” Nori whispered, edging away but still gripping at Dwalin’s arm as if he feared that this was the only thing keeping him safe. Perhaps he was afraid of animals as big as those dogs, or had encountered Wargs and now feared anything similar, though he’d never told Dwalin about it. It made his reaction a little more understandable. 

“Alright,” Dwalin agreed then, feeling terrible for accidentally having caused Nori such distress. “I’ll bring you home, if you want.”

He placed his free hand on Nori’s shoulder soothingly, and turned to put his body between Nori and the dogs to lead him away. 

Just then a shout of warning came from behind, and an excited bark and the shuffling of sand followed. Only one glance over his shoulder confirmed that one of the dogs had torn free from Itîm’s grip, and was now speeding towards them. Before Dwalin could react, or wrap Nori in his arms protectively, the feeling of a solid shoulder under his hand was gone and there was nothing but smoke brushing over his fingers. 

Everything went still. The sound of the guards behind him drowned away, the dog slid over the sand as it stopped in its surprise, Dwalin swore his heart skipped a few beats. 

Where Nori had stood there was nothing but a trail of smoke, curling low over the ground and in a circle around a small creature. It was a fox, its gorgeous red fur standing on end, the same colour as Nori’s hair, glowing golden eyes wide and terrified. Smoke seemed to leak out of its body and from its mouth like it could breathe fire, and Dwalin didn’t need to know much about animals to recognize the terror in every inch of its body. 

“Nori?” he chocked out, trying to understand and the call for his love coming natural when faced with the strange situation and the shorter Dwarf being gone all of a sudden. 

The fox shivered, and then the smoke around it coalesced into a tall column. The fox disappeared, and in its place stood Nori, still leaking smoke and his wide eyes glowing in an unnatural way. Nobody moved as the spirit’s eyes flicked from Dwalin to the dog, and then back to Dwalin. The shape shivered, distorting slightly. 

“I’m sorry,” the shape that was Nori whispered, and before Dwalin could lunge forwards to catch him he burst into nothing and a faintly glowing smoke was shooting away and out of the door. 

Nori’ name died on his lips as Dwalin’s hands closed around nothing and he fell to his knees. A last wisp of smoke brushed past him, and then there was no trace of Nori left.

**Author's Note:**

> Based on Japanese Kitsune legends


End file.
